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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. drill — army training
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. saw — the tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. saw — the tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. drill — a practice
  24. nail — on a finger

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