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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mug — a cup
  3. staff — employees
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cap — a hat
  7. staff — a stick
  8. cap — a lid
  9. suit — to fit
  10. file — a document
  11. object — a thing
  12. mug — a face
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cap — of ice
  16. suit — in cards
  17. mug — to rob
  18. suit — clothes
  19. staff — employees
  20. mine — for digging
  21. object — an aim
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. object — to protest
  24. file — a tool

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