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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pound — a weight
  4. dip — to sink
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. dip — a sauce

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