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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: file · straw · club · bark · rest · bulb · kick · wave

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bulb — for light
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bulb — for light
  5. file — a line of people
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rest — what's left
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. club — for golf
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rest — a break
  13. file — a document
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. club — a group
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rest — what's left
  22. file — a tool
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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