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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bark — to shout
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. kick — in football
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. staff — employees
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. staff — employees

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