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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · club · pitcher · wind · bark · jam · spring · track

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. club — a group
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. club — for golf
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. track — to keep track
  12. spring — a coil
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. club — for dancing
  16. spring — of water
  17. wind — moving air
  18. track — a path
  19. spring — the season
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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