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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: drill · present · bark · bank · last · mark · rest · pitcher

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. drill — army training
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. present — the time now
  7. bank — of a river
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rest — what's left
  12. present — a gift
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rest — a break
  18. last — final
  19. present — there
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. last — to go on

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