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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. file — a tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pound — a weight
  15. file — a document
  16. tube — a container
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. spring — a coil
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bowl — a dish

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