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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bass — the fish
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — to shout
  7. staff — employees
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bass — low music
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. march — music
  13. kid — to tease
  14. staff — employees
  15. wake — a trail
  16. kid — child
  17. march — the month
  18. wake — to stop sleeping

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