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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 120 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  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. suit — to fit
  3. suit — clothes
  4. lean — to bend
  5. mark — a trace
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cold — an illness
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. lean — thin
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. tube — a container
  20. suit — in cards
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wake — a trail
  23. lean — to rest against
  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