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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
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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: fork · field · bark · squash · track · bore · bass · pound

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. track — a song
  3. bore — to drill
  4. track — to keep track
  5. field — a subject
  6. track — a path
  7. field — for sport
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bore — to tire
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bass — low music
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bark — to shout
  17. field — farmland
  18. pound — a weight
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bass — the fish
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pound — for dogs

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