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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.

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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: perch · board · file · bark · foot · bound · rash · ground

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. ground — crushed
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. perch — the fish
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rash — a series
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. board — to get on
  12. ground — a position
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rash — hasty
  15. file — a line of people
  16. board — a committee
  17. bound — certain
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. file — a tool
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bound — tied together
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — obliged
  24. foot — a measure

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