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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 120 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
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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: fall · spring · lie · bowl · ground · file · bark · cue

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. spring — of water
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cue — for pool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. file — a document
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. spring — the season
  15. cue — a hint
  16. file — a tool
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fall — the season
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bowl — a dish

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