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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · rock · rash · bark · foot · march · ball · toast

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rash — a series
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. ball — a great time
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rash — hasty
  15. toast — bread
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. bark — to shout
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. march — the month
  22. rock — a stone
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rock — music

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