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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: last · fan · bark · arm · track · dip · fine · face

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. face — to confront
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. last — final
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. track — a path
  11. dip — to sink
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. last — finally
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. fine — all right
  21. track — a song
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. face — part of the head
  24. last — to go on

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