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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: track · ground · firm · bark · wound · rock · key · chair

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — decided
  6. ground — crushed
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. ground — a position
  10. rock — music
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. firm — steady
  15. chair — a leader
  16. key — in music
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. track — a path
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bark — to shout
  24. rock — to move gently

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