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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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 · tear · fan · bark · file · bound · kick · leaves

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. tear — to rip
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a line of people
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bark — to shout
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. tear — from crying
  12. file — a document
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bound — certain
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. kick — in football
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. file — a tool
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bound — tied together

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