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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 · land · perch · fork · wound · track · tube · board

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wound — an injury
  4. track — to keep track
  5. board — a committee
  6. ball — a dance
  7. track — a path
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — a country
  13. wound — an injury
  14. board — to get on
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. track — a song
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. ball — a great time

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