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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: band · track · rock · cabinet · bark · ball · clip · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ball — a dance
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. band — a music group
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. band — a ring
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. clip — to cut
  16. can — a tin
  17. rock — music
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. track — a song
  21. clip — a video
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bark — to shout

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