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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. bark — to shout
  4. march — music
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. race — the arms race
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. clip — to cut
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. clip — a video
  18. race — a contest
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. race — humankind

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