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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: firm · club · mark · stock · track · wound · present · bark

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. track — a path
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. track — a song
  8. present — the time now
  9. firm — a company
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stock — shares
  14. firm — steady
  15. club — for dancing
  16. firm — decided
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mark — a grade
  21. present — there
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stock — goods
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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