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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. march — the month
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. content — happy
  11. cap — of ice
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. band — a music group
  16. march — the month
  17. cap — a lid
  18. content — the amount
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bear — the animal
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. band — a ring
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. march — music

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