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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 116 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. bound — certain
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. game — a match
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. staff — a stick
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. row — to paddle
  16. game — wild animals
  17. row — a line
  18. bound — tied together
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. staff — employees
  23. bound — obliged
  24. staff — employees

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