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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 120 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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. file — a document
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wound — an injury
  7. drill — army training
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. drill — a practice
  12. scale — in music
  13. bark — to shout
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. file — a tool
  20. drill — the tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. scale — size or range
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ruler — for measuring

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