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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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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: board · sharp · bulb · spring · band · file · bark · spell

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bark — to shout
  4. file — a line of people
  5. spell — letters
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. spring — the season
  8. file — a tool
  9. band — a ring
  10. board — to get on
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. spring — of water
  14. board — a committee
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. sharp — clever
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. spell — magic
  20. file — a document
  21. band — a music group
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spring — a coil
  24. band — a rubber band

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