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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. shower — to wash
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bark — to shout
  6. tear — from crying
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. chest — of your body
  20. toast — bread
  21. chest — a box
  22. shower — rain
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. chest — of your body

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