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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bank — of a river
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bank — for money
  14. season — in sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bank — for money
  20. can — a tin
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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