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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. scale — in music
  3. tube — a container
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. march — the month
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. march — the month
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. track — a path
  18. pop — soda
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bore — to drill
  23. march — music
  24. track — to keep track

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