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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. rock — music
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. saw — the tool
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. foot — a measure
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. march — the month
  16. bark — to shout
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — the tool
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. march — music
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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