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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.

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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: calf · bark · nail · drill · spring · chair · fall · clip

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spring — of water
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spring — a coil
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. drill — army training
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. drill — the tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. clip — a video
  15. drill — a practice
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bark — to shout
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. chair — a leader
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spring — the season

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