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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. shower — rain
  9. cue — a signal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. field — farmland
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cue — for pool
  15. dip — to sink
  16. field — for sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. field — a subject
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. dip — a sauce

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