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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 116 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: ground · tear · mark · net · bark · season · perch · firm

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. mark — a trace
  3. tear — from crying
  4. net — in sport
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mark — a grade
  7. firm — decided
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. season — of the year
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. net — after costs
  12. firm — steady
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ground — crushed
  15. firm — a company
  16. tear — to rip
  17. ground — a position
  18. season — in sport
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ground — the earth
  21. net — for catching
  22. perch — the fish
  23. tear — from crying
  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