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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. march — the month
  4. stand — to bear
  5. tube — a container
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. date — the fruit
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. march — music
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. shower — to wash
  18. march — the month
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — a skill
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. shower — rain
  24. date — on the calendar

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