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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · snap · net · rest · bound · spell · object · bark

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spell — magic
  3. net — after costs
  4. bound — tied together
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. file — a tool
  7. object — to protest
  8. spell — letters
  9. object — a thing
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bound — certain
  12. rest — a break
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. net — in sport
  15. snap — to click
  16. rest — what's left
  17. file — a line of people
  18. net — for catching
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bound — obliged
  23. file — a document
  24. object — an aim

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