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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bound — obliged
  8. tube — a container
  9. tear — to rip
  10. file — a document
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tear — from crying
  13. file — a tool
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rest — a break
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bound — certain
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. mate — to breed
  24. file — a line of people

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