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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: stick · bear · ground · file · club · hide · cell · bark

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. file — a document
  9. ground — the earth
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ground — a position
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. club — for dancing
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bark — to shout
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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