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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. march — the month
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. snap — to click
  6. march — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. march — the month
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bark — to shout
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. swing — in golf
  16. drill — the tool
  17. perch — the fish
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. drill — a practice
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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