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

Word bank: cabinet · bay · mouse · fan · wind · pound · file · bark

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. file — a tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. file — a document
  23. pound — a weight
  24. wind — moving air

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