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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bark — to shout
  3. roll — a cake
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. file — a document
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. toast — bread
  18. roll — a list
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bore — to tire
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bore — to drill

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