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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: spring · bark · fan · pop · key · mark · track · file

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. file — a document
  5. pop — to visit
  6. file — a tool
  7. key — for a lock
  8. spring — the season
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pop — music
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bark — to shout
  15. spring — of water
  16. pop — soda
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. key — in music
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. file — a line of people

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