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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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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: club · wind · bark · straw · ruler · wound · jam · track

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. track — a song
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. track — a path
  9. bark — to shout
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. club — for golf
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. club — a group
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. track — to keep track
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wind — moving air

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