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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
468
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: bay · fan · bowl · land · file · dip · ball · bark

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. file — a line of people
  8. ball — a great time
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. land — ground
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ball — a dance
  15. land — to come down
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. land — a country
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bowl — to roll

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