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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. saw — the tool
  3. file — a tool
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pit — in a race
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. saw — the tool
  12. land — ground
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. land — to come down
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rash — a series
  22. file — a line of people
  23. land — a country
  24. leaves — of a tree

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