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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bark — to shout
  4. march — the month
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pop — music
  10. march — music
  11. field — a subject
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. field — for sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. object — to protest
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. object — an aim
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. field — farmland
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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