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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: pit · wind · tube · file · bark · stem · row · lie

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. row — to paddle
  6. tube — a container
  7. stem — to come from
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. wind — moving air
  11. file — a tool
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. row — a line
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. lie — an untruth

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