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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. club — for dancing
  3. band — a music group
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. march — the month
  6. band — a ring
  7. rest — what's left
  8. march — the month
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. club — a group
  11. season — in sport
  12. lean — thin
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rest — what's left
  15. march — music
  16. bark — to shout
  17. club — for golf
  18. season — of the year
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lean — to bend
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wax — to grow
  24. lean — to rest against

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