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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. track — a song
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bark — to shout
  12. kid — child
  13. track — to keep track
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. track — a path
  20. spring — of water
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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