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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
468
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: jam · track · bark · mark · wake · cold · land · perch

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bark — to shout
  5. perch — the fish
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cold — an illness
  16. track — a song
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wake — a trail
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. track — a path
  23. cold — not warm
  24. land — a country

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