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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · row · racket · object · hide · nail · chest · wind

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chest — a box
  6. wind — moving air
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wind — moving air
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. object — a thing
  13. spring — a coil
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. object — to protest
  20. row — to paddle
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. row — a line
  23. object — an aim
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com