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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mine — for digging
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. row — a line
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bark — to shout

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