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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: root · bark · mine · prune · key · bay · file · wax

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wax — to grow
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mine — for digging
  10. file — a document
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. prune — to trim
  16. root — the cause
  17. file — a tool
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. wax — in the ear

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