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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. land — a country
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. march — the month
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. ball — a dance
  7. branch — a division
  8. march — the month
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. land — ground
  12. sharp — clever
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. land — to come down
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. branch — of a tree

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