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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: file · face · band · spell · trunk · key · bark · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. key — the most important part
  3. band — a music group
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. face — to confront
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. file — a document
  9. bark — to shout
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spell — magic
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cap — a hat
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. key — in music
  16. band — a ring
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. spell — a short time
  20. face — part of the head
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cap — a lid
  23. spell — letters
  24. face — to point toward

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