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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: march · bark · rash · board · wax · fan · mark · tube

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mark — a trace
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. tube — a container
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. board — to get on
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. wax — to grow
  15. board — a committee
  16. march — the month
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. tube — in a tire

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