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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. file — a line of people
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. bark — to shout
  6. file — a document
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. band — a ring
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bore — to tire
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. file — a tool
  14. band — a music group
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bore — to drill
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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