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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spring — of water
  5. march — the month
  6. present — the time now
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. present — there
  9. march — the month
  10. club — for golf
  11. rest — what's left
  12. club — for dancing
  13. lean — thin
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. present — a gift
  16. spring — the season
  17. lean — to bend
  18. club — a group
  19. rock — music
  20. march — music
  21. bark — to shout
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rest — a break

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