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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. land — to come down
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. lie — to recline
  7. land — a country
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bound — tied together
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. present — there
  15. file — a tool
  16. bark — to shout
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. present — a gift
  20. file — a document
  21. present — the time now
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. land — ground

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