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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: object · content · file · bound · club · bark · trunk · tear

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. content — happy
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. object — an aim
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. tear — to rip
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. club — for golf
  10. object — to protest
  11. club — for dancing
  12. tear — from crying
  13. object — a thing
  14. bound — tied together
  15. file — a document
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bark — to shout
  19. file — a tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bound — certain
  22. content — the amount
  23. club — a group
  24. bound — obliged

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