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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stock — goods
  4. track — a path
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. bark — to shout
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ground — the earth
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wound — an injury
  15. track — a song
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stock — shares
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. track — to keep track
  20. deal — to handle
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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