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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rest — what's left
  3. march — music
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. drill — a practice
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. tube — the underground
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to click
  15. march — the month
  16. rest — what's left
  17. drill — the tool
  18. tube — a container
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rest — a break
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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