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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. root — the cause
  4. club — for golf
  5. chest — of your body
  6. saw — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chest — a box
  12. club — for dancing
  13. root — of a word
  14. squash — to crush
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bark — to shout
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. club — a group
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. root — of a plant
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. lash — an eyelash

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