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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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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bark — to shout
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. march — music
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bass — the fish
  10. march — the month
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. march — the month
  16. cold — an illness
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bass — low music
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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