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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
468
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: key · file · can · bark · wax · pop · cell · bat

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. can — a tin
  3. pop — music
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. file — a line of people
  12. can — a tin
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cell — a phone
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pop — soda
  19. file — a tool
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cell — in biology
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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