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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wind — moving air
  3. file — a tool
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bark — to shout
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. lie — to recline
  12. deal — to handle
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bass — the fish
  15. hand — help
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hand — in cards
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wind — to turn a key

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