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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 · safe · row · spring · track · tube · pound · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. spring — of water
  4. track — a path
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. track — a song
  7. tube — a container
  8. bark — to shout
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. row — a line
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. row — to paddle
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. tube — the underground
  23. spring — the season
  24. pound — for dogs

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