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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: wound · fall · mark · last · bark · ball · capital · bay

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bark — to shout
  8. capital — money
  9. last — final
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. fall — the season
  15. last — to go on
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. fall — to drop
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. ball — a dance
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a trace
  24. last — finally

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