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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rock — music
  4. bark — to shout
  5. charge — in control
  6. spring — a coil
  7. file — a line of people
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rock — a stone
  10. spring — the season
  11. charge — a price
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spring — of water
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — of the sea

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