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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: row · capital · root · bark · mark · march · last · fall

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. root — the cause
  4. march — the month
  5. mark — a grade
  6. last — to go on
  7. root — of a plant
  8. last — finally
  9. bark — to shout
  10. capital — a city
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fall — to drop
  15. march — music
  16. fall — the season
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fall — to drop
  19. last — final
  20. row — a line
  21. march — the month
  22. root — of a word
  23. capital — money
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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