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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. file — a document
  3. row — to paddle
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — a short time
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. file — a line of people
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spell — letters
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bark — to shout
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bulb — for light
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. spell — magic
  20. chest — a box
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chest — of your body
  23. file — a tool
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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