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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · fan · bark · present · content · mark · track · bowl

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mark — a grade
  11. track — a song
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. track — a path
  17. content — happy
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. content — the amount
  22. present — there
  23. bark — to shout
  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