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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: file · spring · sharp · squash · bark · wind · cap · dip

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. spring — the season
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. spring — a coil
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cap — a lid
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wind — moving air
  13. file — a tool
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cap — of ice
  21. spring — of water
  22. file — a document
  23. dip — to sink
  24. sharp — exactly

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