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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: pop · bowl · bark · straw · rock · rest · track · stand

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rock — music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pop — soda
  12. rest — a break
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. rock — a stone
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pop — music
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bark — to shout
  23. track — a path
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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