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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: bark · mug · track · staff · file · calf · wax · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. track — a song
  7. mug — a face
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wax — to grow
  15. file — a tool
  16. staff — employees
  17. track — a path
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. staff — a stick
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mug — a cup
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. file — a document

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