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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: chest · file · leaves · bark · tear · cabinet · cue · bear

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cue — a hint
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bear — the animal
  19. file — a document
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bear — to put up with

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