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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · bark · march · craft · pop · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pop — soda
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. pop — to visit
  6. march — the month
  7. foot — a measure
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. craft — a skill
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. craft — boats
  12. pop — music
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month

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