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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: bark · saw · plane · nail · present · last · track · band

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. track — a path
  4. band — a ring
  5. last — final
  6. present — a gift
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. track — to keep track
  11. last — finally
  12. present — there
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. band — a music group
  16. saw — the tool
  17. last — to go on
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. saw — the tool
  20. track — a song
  21. present — the time now
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bark — of a tree

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