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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: bay · fall · dip · face · bark · bulb · file · key

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. file — a document
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bulb — for light
  10. key — in music
  11. fall — the season
  12. bulb — for light
  13. file — a line of people
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to sink
  16. key — the most important part
  17. face — to confront
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fall — to drop
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. file — a tool

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