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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. march — the month
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. march — music
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. root — the cause
  12. ground — a position
  13. clip — to cut
  14. root — of a plant
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. march — the month
  22. root — of a word
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wind — moving air

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