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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: cabinet · rush · saw · nail · bark · hand · wind · mug

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mug — to rob
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wind — moving air
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mug — a face
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bark — to shout
  22. hand — help
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wind — to turn a key

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