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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. file — a tool
  2. mate — a friend
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. swing — music
  7. file — a document
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. swing — in golf
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. swing — to play on
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bulb — for light
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mate — to breed
  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