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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 116 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: mouse · ball · row · file · sharp · bowl · band · bark

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. band — a ring
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. band — a music group
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bark — to shout
  18. row — a line
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. file — a document
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bowl — a football final

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