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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. tube — a container
  5. bark — to shout
  6. swing — to play on
  7. club — a group
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — a hole
  13. fine — all right
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. swing — music
  16. bound — certain
  17. fine — high quality
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pit — in a race
  21. club — for golf
  22. tube — the underground
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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