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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. track — to keep track
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bank — for money
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. file — a tool
  9. band — a ring
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bank — of a river
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cue — a signal
  15. band — a music group
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bank — for money
  20. wake — a trail
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. file — a document

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