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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. firm — decided
  5. tear — to rip
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. rule — a law
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. firm — steady
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. tear — from crying
  20. firm — a company
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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