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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 124 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. saw — the tool
  3. band — a music group
  4. file — a document
  5. swing — in golf
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. fall — the season
  8. lean — thin
  9. mate — a friend
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. swing — music
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. band — a ring
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bark — to shout
  24. lean — to bend

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