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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. march — the month
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bear — the animal
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. march — music
  12. track — a path
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bear — the animal
  15. track — a song
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. march — the month
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. track — to keep track
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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