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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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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: mark · prune · field · lash · bark · scale · plane · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. scale — in music
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. last — finally
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bark — to shout
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. field — a subject
  20. last — to go on
  21. mark — a trace
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. prune — to trim

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