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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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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: band · craft · kick · tear · bark · rest · pop · nail

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rest — a break
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tear — to rip
  8. band — a ring
  9. kick — in football
  10. rest — what's left
  11. craft — a skill
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. craft — boats
  14. pop — to visit
  15. band — a music group
  16. pop — music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tear — from crying
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pop — soda
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rest — what's left

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