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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. march — the month
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. march — the month
  17. lean — thin
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bark — to shout
  24. lean — to bend

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