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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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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: tear · bark · perch · file · mine · board · chip · shower

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mine — for digging
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. tear — to rip
  7. perch — the fish
  8. chip — for betting
  9. board — to get on
  10. file — a document
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. board — a committee
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. file — a tool
  20. chip — to eat
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. shower — rain
  24. mine — belonging to me

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