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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: fork · cold · bark · rash · season · present · nail · ruler

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. season — in sport
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cold — not warm
  11. present — a gift
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. present — there
  16. rash — hasty
  17. present — the time now
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fork — in a road
  20. rash — a series
  21. season — of the year
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. fork — a garden tool

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