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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. can — a tin
  5. swing — to play on
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wind — moving air
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. staff — employees
  13. spring — of water
  14. can — a tin
  15. staff — employees
  16. bark — to shout
  17. can — to be able to
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spring — the season
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spring — a coil
  24. staff — a stick

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