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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.

Make a worksheet

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: temple · bark · pitcher · bay · scale · wind · hide · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. file — a document
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. file — a line of people
  8. scale — size or range
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. file — a tool
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bark — to shout
  19. scale — in music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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