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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: present · track · foot · net · game · face · bark · bank

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. track — a song
  2. game — a match
  3. present — a gift
  4. face — to confront
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bank — for money
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. net — in sport
  9. bank — for money
  10. present — the time now
  11. face — to point toward
  12. net — for catching
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bank — of a river
  17. present — there
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bark — to shout
  20. net — after costs
  21. game — wild animals
  22. face — part of the head
  23. track — to keep track
  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