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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. march — the month
  8. rock — music
  9. march — music
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. clip — a video
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. rock — a stone
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. march — the month
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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