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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · bass · saw · bat · bark · mine · snap · foot

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bat — the animal
  5. snap — to click
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mark — a grade
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bass — low music
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. foot — the bottom

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