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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — decided
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. prune — to trim
  9. plane — a tool
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bark — to shout
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. firm — steady
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wake — a trail

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