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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: club · pop · file · can · fall · hide · straw · bark

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. file — a document
  4. club — for golf
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. can — a tin
  14. pop — music
  15. file — a tool
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. file — a line of people
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fall — the season
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. can — a tin
  23. club — a group
  24. fall — to drop

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