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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: track · bat · bark · last · ground · bore · date · saw

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ground — a position
  4. last — to go on
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bat — the animal
  13. track — a path
  14. bore — to tire
  15. last — finally
  16. date — the fruit
  17. track — a song
  18. ground — crushed
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. last — final
  23. bore — to drill
  24. date — on the calendar

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