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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. spring — a coil
  5. press — newspapers
  6. march — the month
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mug — a face
  9. spring — the season
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. spring — of water
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bark — to shout
  19. foot — a measure
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. tube — a container

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