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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: lean · pop · ruler · date · leaves · mark · bark · content

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. content — happy
  3. bark — to shout
  4. date — the fruit
  5. lean — thin
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pop — music
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pop — to visit
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. content — the amount
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pop — soda
  20. lean — to bend
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. mark — a grade
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mark — a trace

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