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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. file — a document
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bass — low music
  7. present — there
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. present — the time now
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. present — a gift
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. file — a tool
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fork — in a road
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bass — the fish
  24. leaves — of a tree

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