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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.

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: tube · file · stand · ground · bark · sharp · content · ruler

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ground — a position
  4. file — a document
  5. ground — crushed
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. content — the amount
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. file — a tool
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. content — happy
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ground — the earth
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. content — videos and posts

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