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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · game · pit · bark · hide · drill · date · wax

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. date — the fruit
  12. pit — a hole
  13. drill — the tool
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. drill — army training
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pit — in a race
  19. game — a match
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. drill — a practice

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