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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: clip · calf · bark · ball · trunk · foot · nail · present

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. clip — to cut
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. clip — for paper
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. clip — a video
  12. foot — a measure
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. ball — a dance
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. present — there
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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