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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. march — the month
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rock — music
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bark — to shout
  10. tube — a container
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. march — the month
  13. mark — a trace
  14. march — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. roll — a list
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. tube — the underground
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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