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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bark — to shout
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wake — a trail
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. track — a song
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. swing — to play on
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. swing — in golf
  18. track — a path
  19. branch — a division
  20. track — to keep track
  21. swing — music
  22. dip — to sink
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bark — of a tree

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