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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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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: craft · file · wind · rock · bark · stick · race · leaves

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. craft — boats
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rock — a stone
  8. craft — a skill
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. file — a tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rock — music
  22. race — humankind
  23. file — a document
  24. race — a contest

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