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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. game — wild animals
  3. march — music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. march — the month
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bass — low music
  15. game — a match
  16. bulb — for light
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. march — the month
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. sharp — clever

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