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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: cabinet · track · bark · file · trunk · land · foot · plane

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. track — to keep track
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. plane — a tool
  7. land — ground
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. file — a tool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. file — a document
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. foot — a measure
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. track — a path
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bark — to shout
  24. file — a line of people

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