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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. file — a line of people
  4. snap — to click
  5. season — in sport
  6. file — a document
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. season — of the year
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bank — for money
  13. bark — to shout
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. file — a tool
  22. bank — for money
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — 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