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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — a stick
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. saw — the tool
  13. march — music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. march — the month
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wake — a trail
  21. net — in sport
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. saw — the tool

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