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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · pound · wake · bear · bark · wound · track · swing

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bear — the animal
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bark — to shout
  10. swing — to play on
  11. rash — a series
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bear — the animal
  18. swing — music
  19. track — a song
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pound — a weight

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