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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: land · ball · file · suit · lean · spell · row · bark

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. row — to paddle
  3. spell — magic
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bark — to shout
  6. suit — in cards
  7. ball — a dance
  8. file — a line of people
  9. spell — a short time
  10. land — to come down
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — to bend
  15. file — a document
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. suit — clothes
  18. row — a line
  19. suit — to fit
  20. ball — a great time
  21. file — a tool
  22. spell — letters
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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