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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: track · deal · snap · bark · spell · saw · hand · wake

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. track — a path
  3. deal — to handle
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. spell — magic
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. snap — to click
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. track — a song
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. hand — in cards
  14. track — to keep track
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wake — a trail
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. spell — letters
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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