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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bass — low music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bark — to shout
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. file — a tool
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bass — the fish
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bore — to drill
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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