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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. march — music
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bass — low music
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. capital — money
  9. bark — to shout
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rest — a break
  20. capital — a city
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. bass — the instrument

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