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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. file — a document
  6. key — in music
  7. track — to keep track
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. key — the most important part
  11. track — a song
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bark — to shout
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. track — a path

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