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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ground — a position
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bark — to shout
  6. file — a tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — to bear
  13. ground — the earth
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. file — a line of people
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. rush — hurry
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. ground — crushed
  21. file — a document
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rush — to hurry

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