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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
468
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: trunk · bat · temple · key · staff · bark · file · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. key — the most important part
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. key — for a lock
  6. staff — employees
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. key — in music
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bark — to shout
  13. staff — employees
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. file — a document
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bat — the animal
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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