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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 · board · track · rock · pit · sharp · trunk · wake

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. track — a song
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bark — to shout
  12. board — a committee
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wake — a trail
  17. sharp — clever
  18. board — to get on
  19. rock — a stone
  20. track — a path
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. track — to keep track
  24. rock — music

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