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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.

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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 · field · arm · object · last · track · deal · tear

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. tear — from crying
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. object — an aim
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. field — farmland
  8. object — to protest
  9. field — a subject
  10. last — final
  11. track — to keep track
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. field — for sport
  14. tear — to rip
  15. object — a thing
  16. bark — to shout
  17. track — a path
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. last — finally
  20. tear — from crying
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. track — a song
  24. last — to go on

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