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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. shower — rain
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. march — the month
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. drill — army training
  12. march — the month
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lean — to bend
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lean — thin
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. drill — a practice
  24. march — music

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