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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bound — tied together
  4. file — a document
  5. current — happening now
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bark — to shout
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rock — music
  11. bound — certain
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bound — obliged
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. squash — to crush
  17. current — of water
  18. file — a tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. lean — thin
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. current — electric
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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