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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. file — a tool
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. patient — a sick person

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