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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. lean — thin
  7. march — music
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. firm — a company
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. firm — steady
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bark — to shout
  22. stand — to bear
  23. firm — decided
  24. pitch — completely

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