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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.

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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: wound · clip · current · nail · bark · cabinet · ground · root

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bark — to shout
  3. current — electric
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. current — of water
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ground — the earth
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. current — happening now
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. clip — to cut
  15. root — of a word
  16. clip — a video
  17. ground — a position
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. clip — for paper
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wound — an injury
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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