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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. club — for dancing
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. club — for golf
  9. file — a tool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rest — a break
  18. club — a group
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spring — of water
  22. face — to confront
  23. fine — all right
  24. bark — to shout

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