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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: wake · mark · fan · bowl · swing · stock · track · bark

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. track — a path
  8. swing — music
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mark — a trace
  13. stock — goods
  14. track — a song
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stock — shares
  24. swing — in golf

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