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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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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bark — to shout
  4. content — happy
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mug — to rob
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. scale — in music
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. file — a document
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. content — the amount
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mug — a face

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