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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: nail · fork · bark · track · tear · mark · snap · mine

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bark — to shout
  4. tear — to rip
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mark — a trace
  8. track — a path
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mark — a grade
  20. snap — to click
  21. track — to keep track
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

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