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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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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: board · wound · firm · hide · suit · bark · roll · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. suit — clothes
  3. board — a committee
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. firm — a company
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. suit — in cards
  11. roll — a cake
  12. firm — steady
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. suit — to fit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. file — a line of people
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. file — a document
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. board — to get on
  21. roll — a list
  22. bark — to shout
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. firm — decided

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