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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: track · bulb · last · spring · bark · content · trunk · firm

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. firm — a company
  3. last — final
  4. track — a path
  5. firm — steady
  6. last — to go on
  7. spring — a coil
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. content — the amount
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. firm — decided
  14. content — happy
  15. track — a song
  16. bulb — for light
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. spring — the season
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. last — finally
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bark — to shout

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