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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: mine · bark · can · face · root · pitcher · wake · nail

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. can — a tin
  7. face — to confront
  8. can — a tin
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. face — to point toward
  17. root — of a plant
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wake — a trail
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bark — to shout

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