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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.

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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: cell · file · firm · hide · spell · tear · pass · bark

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — steady
  7. pass — a permit
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bark — to shout
  12. file — a line of people
  13. spell — a short time
  14. file — a tool
  15. firm — a company
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spell — magic
  18. tear — to rip
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. tear — from crying
  23. file — a document
  24. bark — of a tree

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