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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: file · board · bark · hand · trunk · press · jam · mate

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. board — a committee
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. board — to get on
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. hand — help
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. trunk — of a car

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