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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bark — to shout
  14. file — a tool
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. board — a committee
  17. prune — to trim
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cold — not warm
  20. board — to get on
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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