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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. kid — child
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. board — to get on
  8. ground — crushed
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ground — a position
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. ground — the earth
  14. prune — to trim
  15. capital — money
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. board — a committee
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. kid — to tease
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. capital — a city
  24. bark — of a tree

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