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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. march — the month
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mug — a face
  6. bass — low music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. march — the month
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mate — to breed
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. track — a song
  15. mate — a friend
  16. track — a path
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bark — to shout
  20. mate — a partner
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bass — the fish
  23. march — music
  24. tear — from crying

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