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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: rush · wind · roll · bark · tear · date · nail · stick

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. roll — a list
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rush — hurry
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. roll — a cake
  24. nail — on a finger

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