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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. net — for catching
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. ground — crushed
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. file — a document
  9. ground — the earth
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bulb — for light
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. net — in sport
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ground — a position
  24. net — after costs

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