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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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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. hand — in cards
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. root — of a plant
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. root — the cause
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. clip — a video
  12. firm — steady
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. firm — a company
  16. clip — for paper
  17. root — of a word
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fork — in a road
  20. deal — to handle
  21. clip — to cut
  22. firm — decided
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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