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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 116 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: file · rest · current · bark · dip · land · straw · wave

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bark — to shout
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. file — a document
  8. rest — a break
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. land — to come down
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. current — electric
  13. land — ground
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. current — of water
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rest — what's left
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. land — a country
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. dip — to sink
  24. current — happening now

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