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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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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: mark · firm · game · bark · chest · nail · deal · wind

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. deal — to handle
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mark — a grade
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. game — a match
  12. chest — of your body
  13. firm — a company
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. firm — decided
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wind — moving air
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. chest — a box
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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