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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: wind · pitcher · bark · face · nail · pound · cabinet · spell

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. face — to confront
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. face — part of the head
  7. spell — magic
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bark — to shout
  11. spell — letters
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pound — a weight
  24. cabinet — ministers

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