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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: field · last · wound · bank · wake · mark · pit · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bank — for money
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bank — for money
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. last — finally
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bank — of a river
  10. pit — in a race
  11. field — farmland
  12. mark — a trace
  13. last — to go on
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wake — a trail
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. field — a subject
  20. mark — a grade
  21. last — final
  22. field — for sport
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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