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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · stick · pitcher · track · swing · bear · hide · can

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. swing — music
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bear — the animal
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. track — a song
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. track — a path
  21. can — a tin
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bear — the animal

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