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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mine — for digging
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. file — a line of people
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. toast — bread
  14. bulb — for light
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. file — a document
  17. scale — in music
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. file — a tool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. march — music
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. scale — for weighing

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