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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 116 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: saw · court · mark · nail · ruler · shower · fork · bark

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bark — to shout
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mark — a grade
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. shower — rain
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mark — a trace
  13. court — of a king
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. saw — the tool
  18. court — of law
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. ruler — a monarch

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