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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: mark · safe · last · bark · clip · band · pitch · march

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. march — the month
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. march — the month
  8. pitch — completely
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. band — a ring
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. march — music
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. band — a music group
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. last — to go on
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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