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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bark — to shout
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. spring — of water
  5. pop — to visit
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pop — music
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. toast — bread
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. march — the month
  18. pop — soda
  19. kick — in football
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. leaves — of a tree

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