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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. season — of the year
  3. march — music
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. march — the month
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bark — to shout
  13. club — a group
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. march — the month
  16. shower — rain
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. season — in sport
  21. object — an aim
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. club — for golf
  24. pound — a weight

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