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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mark — a trace
  4. last — finally
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. present — a gift
  13. prune — to trim
  14. last — to go on
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. present — there
  18. last — final
  19. bound — obliged
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. present — the time now
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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