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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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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: bark · mark · wake · prune · drill · racket

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. drill — the tool
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. drill — army training
  6. mark — a grade
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bark — to shout
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mark — a trace
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wake — a trail
  18. racket — for tennis

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