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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: file · track · leaves · spring · clip · nail · bark · jam

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. file — a document
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bark — to shout
  6. clip — for paper
  7. spring — of water
  8. file — a tool
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a song
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. clip — a video
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. file — a line of people
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. track — a path
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. nail — on a finger

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