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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 116 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: spring · racket · cue · suit · bark · file · cell · lean

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. cue — a hint
  3. spring — the season
  4. file — a tool
  5. cell — in biology
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. lean — to bend
  9. file — a document
  10. spring — of water
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lean — thin
  13. cue — for pool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cue — a signal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. file — a line of people
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cell — a phone

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