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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.

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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: perch · bark · drill · track · stick · swing · march · nail

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. drill — army training
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. march — the month
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. track — a path

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