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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cap — a lid
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bark — to shout
  5. scale — in music
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rash — hasty
  10. prune — to trim
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. kick — in football
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bore — to drill
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rash — a series
  24. bore — gave birth

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