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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. march — the month
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. march — the month
  8. root — the cause
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. root — of a plant
  13. march — music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. club — a group
  17. cap — of ice
  18. club — for golf
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. root — of a word
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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