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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: arm · ground · mine · nail · bark · tube · stick · swing

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ground — a position
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bark — to shout
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. swing — to play on
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. tube — a container
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. swing — music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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