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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: bark · pitcher · fall · rush · trunk · file · key · bear

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fall — the season
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rush — hurry
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bear — the animal
  18. key — in music
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. file — a tool
  22. key — for a lock
  23. file — a document
  24. bark — to shout

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