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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bulb — for light
  9. march — the month
  10. bulb — for light
  11. squash — to crush
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. march — the month
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stand — to bear
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. squash — the sport
  23. march — music
  24. bark — to shout

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