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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: bark · mark · face · wound · season · can · arm · rock

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wound — an injury
  5. face — to confront
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. can — a tin
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mark — a trace
  10. season — in sport
  11. face — to point toward
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rock — music
  14. season — of the year
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. arm — a part of something

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