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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · bear · court · bat · bark · track · deal · wound

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. spell — a short time
  5. track — to keep track
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bear — the animal
  11. court — for sport
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wound — an injury
  14. track — a song
  15. court — of a king
  16. bat — the animal
  17. spell — magic
  18. track — a path
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. spell — letters
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. court — of law
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wound — an injury

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