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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: mark · clip · rash · dip · bark · march · nail · season

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. season — of the year
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. season — in sport
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. dip — to sink
  15. clip — for paper
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. march — music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — a video
  21. bark — to shout
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mark — a trace

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