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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. file — a tool
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. file — a line of people
  6. charge — in control
  7. clip — a video
  8. lean — thin
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. file — a document
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. clip — to cut
  20. charge — a price
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. clip — for paper
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bark — to shout

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