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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. file — a tool
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. face — to confront
  17. file — a document
  18. scale — in music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stand — to bear

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