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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: bark · arm · content · scale · rush · mark · net · wake

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. content — the amount
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. net — in sport
  9. scale — size or range
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. content — happy
  19. net — after costs
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. scale — in music
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rush — to hurry

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