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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. track — a path
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bear — the animal
  7. plane — a tool
  8. track — a song
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. season — in sport
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. toast — bread
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. season — of the year
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. toast — the most admired

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