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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: calf · swing · file · ground · nail · perch · bark · plane

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ground — a position
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. swing — in golf
  8. ground — crushed
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. file — a tool
  12. swing — music
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. perch — the fish
  17. file — a line of people
  18. ground — the earth
  19. swing — to play on
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. file — a document

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