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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. band — a music group
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rest — a break
  5. file — a line of people
  6. band — a ring
  7. cue — a hint
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. row — to paddle
  11. file — a document
  12. cap — a hat
  13. row — a line
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cap — a lid
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cap — of ice
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bark — 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