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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: foot · temple · mine · rest · bark · wave · file · deal

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. mine — for digging
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. deal — to handle
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. file — a tool
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. file — a document
  24. mine — an explosive

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