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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: bark · rest · foot · mark · clip · march · plane · safe

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. foot — a measure
  3. rest — what's left
  4. march — the month
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. march — the month
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. march — music
  16. bark — to shout
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. plane — a tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rest — what's left
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. plane — in geometry

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