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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cell — a phone
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rash — a series
  8. board — a committee
  9. march — the month
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. board — to get on
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rash — hasty
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. board — a flat piece

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