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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: rule · mark · last · can · track · land · bark · pop

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mark — a grade
  3. last — finally
  4. can — a tin
  5. pop — soda
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rule — government
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. track — a song
  16. land — to come down
  17. last — to go on
  18. can — a tin
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. can — to be able to
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. last — final
  23. land — ground
  24. rule — a law

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