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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 · rash · bark · band · row · ball · foot

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. rash — a series
  4. track — a path
  5. band — a music group
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bark — to shout
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rash — hasty
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. ground — the earth
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. band — a ring
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. ground — a position

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