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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: row · rock · last · march · rest · degree · bark · mark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. rest — a break
  6. march — the month
  7. last — finally
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bark — to shout
  16. row — a line
  17. last — final
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rock — a stone
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rest — what's left
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rock — music
  24. last — to go on

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