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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: rule · rash · perch · hand · nail · kid · bark · fine

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. kid — to tease
  5. perch — the fish
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rule — a law
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. hand — help
  19. kid — child
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. hand — in cards
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. hand — part of the body

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