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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: plane · track · safe · firm · present · file · last · bark

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. file — a line of people
  3. present — a gift
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. firm — decided
  8. last — final
  9. track — a path
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. last — finally
  12. firm — a company
  13. last — to go on
  14. present — the time now
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. firm — steady
  18. present — there
  19. bark — to shout
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. safe — a strongbox

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