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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. march — the month
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. march — music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bark — to shout
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. tear — from crying
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rest — a break
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. march — the month
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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