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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. hand — help
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rush — hurry
  6. scale — size or range
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. scale — in music
  13. game — wild animals
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. game — a match
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bore — to tire
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. hand — in cards

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