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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: rush · bear · spring · bark · spell · row · hand · track

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bear — the animal
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. track — a path
  7. hand — in cards
  8. track — to keep track
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. track — a song
  13. hand — help
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. spring — of water
  20. row — a line
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. spring — the season
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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