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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — from crying
  5. can — a tin
  6. swing — in golf
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — to shout
  9. swing — music
  10. can — a tin
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bulb — for light
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. can — to be able to
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bulb — for light

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