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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: last · chest · bowl · wave · bark · pop · march · mark

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. chest — a box
  6. last — to go on
  7. pop — soda
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mark — a grade
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. last — finally
  15. bark — to shout
  16. march — music
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mark — a trace
  21. march — the month
  22. last — final
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. march — the month

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