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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 120 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: sharp · rush · track · nail · bark · wake · hand · bank

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hand — in cards
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rush — hurry
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. track — a song
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. hand — help
  10. bank — of a river
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bank — for money
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. sharp — clever
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bank — for money
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wake — a trail
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. track — a path
  24. nail — for a hammer

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