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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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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 · bear · hand · mark · wake · ground · trunk · court

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. ground — the earth
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wake — a trail
  8. court — of a king
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. court — for sport
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. court — of law
  19. mark — a grade
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. nail — for a hammer

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