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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: pit · roll · bore · lash · bark · wind · land · nail

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bark — to shout
  4. land — ground
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wind — moving air
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. land — to come down
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. land — a country
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pit — a hole
  23. roll — a list
  24. bore — to tire

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