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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: nail · bark · tube · mine · lash · ground · saw · racket

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. ground — the earth
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mine — for digging
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. ground — crushed
  14. tube — the underground
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. ground — a position
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. racket — for tennis

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