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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: mark · row · land · straw · march · track · object · shower

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. march — music
  2. object — to protest
  3. row — to paddle
  4. land — a country
  5. march — the month
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. land — to come down
  10. row — a line
  11. land — ground
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. march — the month
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. object — a thing
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. object — an aim
  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