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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. plane — a tool
  9. kid — child
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. kid — to tease
  12. track — a path
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wind — moving air
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. mark — a grade

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