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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mug — a face
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mug — a cup
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. mug — to rob
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. face — to confront
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. row — a line
  16. bark — to shout
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. trunk — of a car

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