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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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. bowl — a dish
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. net — for catching
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bore — to tire
  12. net — after costs
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bark — to shout
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wound — an injury
  24. net — in sport

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