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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stem — to come from
  14. march — the month
  15. root — of a word
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. march — music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. game — a match
  24. root — of a plant

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