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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. chest — a box
  6. rush — hurry
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. file — a tool
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spring — of water
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. swing — in golf

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