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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bore — to tire
  3. perch — the fish
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. bound — certain
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. spring — the season
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bound — obliged
  24. spring — of water

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