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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 · lean · bark · last · nail · pitcher · stick · sharp

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. last — final
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. last — finally
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mine — for digging
  12. lean — thin
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bark — to shout
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. sharp — clever
  24. nail — for a hammer

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