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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. file — a tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. file — a document
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spell — letters
  11. club — a group
  12. craft — a skill
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. spell — a short time
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. spell — magic
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. craft — boats
  24. leaves — lets stay

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