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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. field — for sport
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. track — a song
  6. wound — an injury
  7. suit — in cards
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pop — music
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. suit — clothes
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — farmland
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. snap — to click
  21. track — a path
  22. field — a subject
  23. suit — to fit
  24. pop — soda

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