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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 · club · spring · track · charge · march · wound · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. charge — a price
  4. march — music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. march — the month
  9. club — for dancing
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. march — the month
  14. charge — electricity
  15. spring — the season
  16. wound — an injury
  17. club — a group
  18. spring — of water
  19. track — a song
  20. club — for golf
  21. wound — an injury
  22. charge — in control
  23. ball — a great time
  24. track — a path

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