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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: ball · stand · wake · roll · track · march · squash · bark

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. track — to keep track
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. roll — a cake
  7. wake — a trail
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. track — a path
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stand — to bear
  15. squash — the sport
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. march — the month
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. roll — a list
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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