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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 116 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: bark · nail · key · mate · trunk · clip · bay · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mate — to breed
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. clip — a video
  6. key — in music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. clip — for paper
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bear — the animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. clip — to cut
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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