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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. hand — in cards
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. ground — the earth
  14. hand — help
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fork — in a road
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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