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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: file · ball · bulb · bank · spell · rest · ground · bark

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rest — a break
  3. bank — of a river
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ground — a position
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spell — magic
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spell — a short time
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. ground — the earth
  22. spell — letters
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bulb — for light

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