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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fine — high quality
  6. spring — a coil
  7. firm — steady
  8. spring — the season
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. rule — a law
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rule — government
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. firm — decided
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. clip — a video
  20. spring — of water
  21. firm — a company
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. clip — to cut
  24. nail — for a hammer

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