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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: wake · drill · file · key · charge · plane · bark · race

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. file — a line of people
  7. drill — the tool
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. file — a document
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. charge — in control
  13. race — the arms race
  14. key — in music
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. race — a contest
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. drill — army training
  19. file — a tool
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. charge — a price
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bark — to shout
  24. race — humankind

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