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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 120 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. clip — a video
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. track — a path
  10. rule — a law
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. rule — government
  15. bear — the animal
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bark — to shout
  22. stock — goods
  23. bear — the animal
  24. track — a song

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