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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: bark · pop · wound · key · face · bound · track · march

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. track — a song
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — to keep track
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pop — soda
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. bound — certain
  15. key — in music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. march — the month
  18. face — to confront
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bound — obliged

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