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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
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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: race · foot · season · nail · mouse · ground · file · bark

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ground — a position
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. race — a contest
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ground — crushed
  13. season — of the year
  14. bark — to shout
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a document
  17. race — the arms race
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. file — a tool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. foot — a measure
  22. race — humankind
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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