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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. can — a tin
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. branch — a division
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. row — to paddle
  10. fall — to drop
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. bound — obliged
  21. row — a line
  22. bound — tied together
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bound — certain

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