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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: nail · bay · key · bark · fall · row · wind · trunk

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. key — the most important part
  6. fall — to drop
  7. key — for a lock
  8. wind — moving air
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. fall — the season
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. key — in music
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. fall — to drop
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wind — moving air
  23. row — a line
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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