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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. staff — a stick
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. file — a line of people
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ground — a position
  8. shower — to wash
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. file — a document
  12. bulb — for light
  13. club — a group
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. file — a tool
  16. ground — crushed
  17. club — for golf
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bark — to shout
  20. staff — employees
  21. shower — rain
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bulb — for light

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