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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: hide · track · craft · bark · arm · pop · rush · rock

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pop — soda
  4. track — a song
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. craft — boats
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. craft — a skill
  20. rock — music
  21. pop — music
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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