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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 120 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: chair · perch · row · bark · rock · patient · mark · drill

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. drill — army training
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. row — to paddle
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rock — a stone
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mark — a grade
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. drill — a practice
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. row — a line

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