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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rock — music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. land — ground
  13. track — a song
  14. bark — to shout
  15. press — newspapers
  16. club — a group
  17. land — a country
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. track — to keep track
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. club — for golf
  24. track — a path

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