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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cue — a hint
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chest — a box
  10. last — finally
  11. cue — a signal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. last — to go on
  19. cue — for pool
  20. last — final
  21. drill — army training
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. march — the month

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