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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: band · wake · bark · rock · pound · mark · spring · perch

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a trace
  3. spring — the season
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — to shout
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mark — a grade
  14. band — a ring
  15. rock — music
  16. pound — a weight
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rock — a stone
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. band — a music group
  24. spring — of water

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