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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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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: deal · bark · stock · nail · foot · bat · spring · drill

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bat — the animal
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. drill — a practice
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bark — to shout
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stock — goods
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. spring — of water
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. spring — the season
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. stock — shares
  19. spring — a coil
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. drill — army training
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. foot — a measure

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