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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.

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: branch · club · pop · snap · track · swing · mark · bark

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pop — to visit
  3. snap — to click
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. track — to keep track
  7. swing — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. mark — a trace
  10. branch — a division
  11. pop — music
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mark — a grade
  15. club — a group
  16. bark — to shout
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. swing — to play on
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. club — for golf

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