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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. clip — to cut
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pop — soda
  12. net — for catching
  13. clip — for paper
  14. net — in sport
  15. deal — to handle
  16. clip — a video
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bark — to shout
  19. lean — to bend
  20. net — after costs
  21. pop — music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stem — to come from
  24. lean — thin

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