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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 120 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: track · drill · land · saw · branch · bowl · bark · racket

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. saw — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. land — a country
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. track — a path
  9. land — ground
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. drill — army training
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. branch — a division
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. land — to come down

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