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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. suit — in cards
  3. land — ground
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. spring — the season
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. track — a song
  14. land — to come down
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. land — a country
  18. spring — a coil
  19. suit — clothes
  20. track — a path
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spring — of water
  23. row — a line
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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