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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: row · rash · mark · wind · straw · bark · track · key

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. track — a path
  14. key — for a lock
  15. row — a line
  16. key — in music
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rash — a series
  21. track — a song
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rash — hasty

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