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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 · file · current · face · mate · trunk · lean · sharp

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. mate — a friend
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bark — to shout
  8. current — electric
  9. lean — thin
  10. face — to confront
  11. current — happening now
  12. lean — to bend
  13. file — a document
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. current — of water
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. file — a tool
  22. face — part of the head
  23. sharp — clever
  24. trunk — of a car

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