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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: trunk · nail · wake · pound · file · pitcher · bark · racket

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wake — a trail
  6. file — a tool
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. file — a document
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bark — to shout
  24. trunk — of a car

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