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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 124 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: nail · land · perch · clip · foot · march · wave · bark

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bark — to shout
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. march — music
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. land — to come down
  12. clip — a video
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. march — the month
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. land — ground
  18. foot — a measure
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. clip — to cut
  21. land — a country
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. march — the month

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