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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: ball · key · current · bark · nail · fall · coach · tear

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. key — the most important part
  3. current — happening now
  4. fall — to drop
  5. key — in music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. current — of water
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tear — to rip
  11. fall — to drop
  12. current — electric
  13. tear — from crying
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. key — for a lock
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bark — to shout
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. fall — the season

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