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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 · rash · bark · craft · mark · fine · squash · last

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. row — a line
  4. last — to go on
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. last — finally
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fine — all right
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. last — final
  16. mark — a grade
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rash — a series
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. fine — high quality
  24. row — to paddle

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