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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: lean · ball · bass · chest · bark · file · bulb · bear

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ball — a dance
  4. file — a tool
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. lean — thin
  13. bass — the fish
  14. chest — a box
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. file — a line of people
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bass — low music
  22. file — a document
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bulb — for light

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