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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 116 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: march · safe · branch · dip · club · mark · pit · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bark — to shout
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pit — a hole
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pit — in a race
  9. march — the month
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. march — the month
  12. club — for golf
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. mark — a trace
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. club — a group
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. dip — to sink
  21. march — music
  22. mark — a grade
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bark — of a tree

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