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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. drill — a practice
  5. fine — all right
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. track — a path
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. plane — a tool
  14. fine — high quality
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. drill — the tool
  17. branch — a division
  18. land — a country
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. track — a song
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. club — for dancing
  24. drill — army training

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