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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: calf · mark · tube · perch · march · cell · saw · bark

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. march — music
  3. cell — in biology
  4. march — the month
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. march — the month
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. tube — a container
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. saw — the tool
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. perch — the fish

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