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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bark — to shout
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. staff — employees
  7. rock — music
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spell — letters
  11. board — to get on
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. staff — employees
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. spring — of water
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. rock — a stone
  22. spell — a short time
  23. board — a committee
  24. spell — magic

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