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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: safe · temple · pop · track · club · wound · nail · bark

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bark — to shout
  3. track — a path
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wound — an injury
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. club — for dancing
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pop — music
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. club — for golf
  16. track — a song
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. club — a group
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pop — soda

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