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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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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: deal · track · bark · land · rest · fall · arm · club

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. land — a country
  3. fall — the season
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. fall — to drop
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. land — ground
  11. rest — what's left
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. track — to keep track
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rest — a break
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. land — to come down
  18. rest — what's left
  19. track — a song
  20. bark — to shout
  21. club — for golf
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. arm — part of the body

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