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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: foot · bark · track · season · saw · perch · swing · face

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bark — to shout
  5. foot — a measure
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. face — to confront
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. season — of the year
  13. swing — music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. face — part of the head
  16. season — in sport
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. swing — in golf
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. perch — the fish
  22. face — to point toward
  23. saw — the tool
  24. track — to keep track

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