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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.

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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: row · bowl · bay · wound · file · bark · mark · ruler

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. file — a document
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. row — to paddle
  16. file — a tool
  17. row — a line
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. file — a line of people
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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