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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. chest — of your body
  6. file — a document
  7. spell — magic
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. spring — the season
  20. spell — letters
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. spell — a short time

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