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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. land — a country
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. ball — a dance
  5. land — ground
  6. scale — size or range
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. tube — a container
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. scale — in music
  21. land — to come down
  22. tube — the underground
  23. file — a tool
  24. wound — an injury

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