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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.

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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: bark · nail · pitcher · bat · bulb · key · track · date

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. track — a song
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. key — in music
  6. track — to keep track
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — a path
  13. bulb — for light
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. date — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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