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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hand — help
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. vault — a safe
  19. file — a document
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. file — a tool
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bass — low music

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