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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · bark · cabinet · swing · file · cap · stock · ball

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. file — a tool
  6. swing — in golf
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wind — moving air
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. swing — music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cap — a hat
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bark — to shout

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