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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 116 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. file — a tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kid — child
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bark — to shout
  7. file — a document
  8. firm — a company
  9. fall — the season
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. kid — to tease
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. firm — decided
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fall — to drop

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