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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. march — the month
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. field — for sport
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. field — farmland
  7. bark — to shout
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. march — music
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — a subject
  13. clip — a video
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. march — the month
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bank — for money
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bank — for money
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pitcher — a jug

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