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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 116 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: chair · hand · nail · object · bark · bay · face · bore

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. chair — a leader
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. object — a thing
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bore — to drill
  9. face — to confront
  10. bark — to shout
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. object — an aim
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. object — to protest
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. face — to point toward

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