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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. march — the month
  3. season — in sport
  4. fine — all right
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. march — music
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. snap — to click
  13. fine — high quality
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. plane — a tool
  16. march — the month
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stem — to come from
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. season — of the year
  24. calf — a young animal

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