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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wind · race · bark · saw · fan · roll · craft

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bark — to shout
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. race — humankind
  10. wind — moving air
  11. roll — a cake
  12. race — a contest
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. craft — boats
  19. roll — a list
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fan — a supporter

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