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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. stem — to come from
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. file — a tool
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cell — in biology
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bound — certain
  22. file — a document
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. file — a line of people

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