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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bark — to shout
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. branch — a division
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. present — there
  10. file — a document
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. file — a tool
  15. present — the time now
  16. band — a music group
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. key — in music
  20. band — a ring
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. present — a gift
  23. branch — of a tree
  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