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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. file — a tool
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. fall — the season
  8. bark — to shout
  9. track — a path
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bound — certain
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. track — to keep track
  18. file — a document
  19. track — a song
  20. file — a line of people
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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