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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.

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: bark · mouse · nail · mate · bat · kid · clip · pitcher

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. kid — child
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mate — a partner
  15. clip — a video
  16. mate — a friend
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. clip — for paper
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bark — to shout

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