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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. land — to come down
  7. march — music
  8. land — ground
  9. march — the month
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bank — of a river
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bark — to shout
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bank — for money
  16. scale — in music
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bank — for money
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. land — a country
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. march — the month

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