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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rash — a series
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. drill — army training
  11. ground — a position
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stem — to come from
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rash — hasty
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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