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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. march — the month
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bear — the animal
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. bark — to shout
  11. season — of the year
  12. clip — a video
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bear — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. clip — to cut
  17. march — music
  18. bear — to put up with

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