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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.

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: ball · file · straw · stock · bark · ruler · row · bear

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. file — a document
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bark — to shout
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. stock — goods
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bear — the animal
  15. row — a line
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stock — shares
  21. file — a tool
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stock — a soup base

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