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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. present — there
  5. lie — to recline
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — a gift
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. branch — a division
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. march — the month
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. lie — an untruth

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