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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 124 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. bound — certain
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bound — tied together
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rock — a stone
  11. march — the month
  12. rock — music
  13. march — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bound — obliged
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pop — music
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cap — a hat
  22. tube — a container
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pop — soda

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