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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.

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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: land · pass · bark · object · track · bound · straw · band

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. object — a thing
  4. bound — tied together
  5. object — an aim
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. track — a path
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. land — to come down
  10. bound — certain
  11. band — a ring
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pass — a permit
  14. object — to protest
  15. band — a music group
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. land — ground
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. track — to keep track
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. land — a country
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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