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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. season — of the year
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. march — the month
  5. fine — high quality
  6. present — the time now
  7. march — music
  8. present — there
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. present — a gift
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fine — all right
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. perch — the fish
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. march — the month
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — in sport

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