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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: track · club · rock · bark · file · staff · face · spring

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. club — for golf
  3. face — part of the head
  4. file — a document
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. spring — of water
  7. track — a path
  8. face — to confront
  9. spring — the season
  10. staff — employees
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. club — a group
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. track — a song
  20. bark — to shout
  21. staff — employees
  22. track — to keep track
  23. club — for dancing
  24. spring — a coil

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