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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. march — the month
  3. fork — in a road
  4. drill — the tool
  5. march — music
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bark — to shout
  9. drill — army training
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. branch — a division
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. drill — a practice

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