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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: track · field · mate · bark · saw · band · key · content

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. key — in music
  3. content — the amount
  4. track — a path
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. field — a subject
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. field — for sport
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. band — a ring
  12. bark — to shout
  13. field — farmland
  14. track — a song
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. content — happy
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mate — a friend
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mate — to breed
  21. track — to keep track
  22. key — for a lock
  23. mate — a partner
  24. saw — the tool

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