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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: bark · fan · swing · craft · fall · lash · nail · root

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. swing — music
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. craft — boats
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. root — of a word
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. root — the cause
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. craft — a skill
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. swing — in golf
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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