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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 120 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 · key · prune · fine · mine · pound · file · safe

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fine — high quality
  8. prune — to trim
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. file — a tool
  19. key — in music
  20. file — a document
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. key — for a lock
  24. fine — all right

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