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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
468
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: mark · plane · rest · toast · bark · mug · field · clip

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. clip — to cut
  3. toast — bread
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rest — a break
  6. field — farmland
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. rest — what's left
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. clip — for paper
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rest — what's left
  17. clip — a video
  18. mark — a grade
  19. plane — a tool
  20. field — a subject
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. field — for sport
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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