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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bark · spell · fan · wound · file · rock · rule · vault

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. file — a tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. file — a line of people
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spell — magic
  13. file — a document
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bark — to shout
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. rule — a law
  19. rock — music
  20. spell — letters
  21. vault — a safe
  22. rule — government
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rock — a stone

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