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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: lean · bark · sharp · saw · degree · file · key · wake

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wake — a trail
  4. degree — an amount
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. sharp — clever
  8. lean — to bend
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. lean — thin
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. file — a document
  15. saw — the tool
  16. degree — from a university
  17. key — the most important part
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. file — a tool
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bark — to shout
  22. degree — temperature
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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