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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bark — to shout
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. track — a path
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pound — a weight
  15. suit — in cards
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. spell — a short time
  20. suit — clothes
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. suit — to fit

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