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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: march · spell · straw · hide · saw · bark · mark · nail

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spell — a short time
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mark — a trace
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. march — music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. spell — letters
  18. bark — to shout
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. spell — magic

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