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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.

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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: bark · jam · game · calf · file · land · date · straw

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. file — a line of people
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. land — ground
  10. game — a match
  11. land — to come down
  12. game — wild animals
  13. land — a country
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. date — the fruit
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bark — to shout
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. file — a tool
  24. calf — a young animal

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