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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. firm — decided
  5. march — music
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bass — low music
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. firm — a company
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. firm — steady
  14. face — part of the head
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. face — to point toward
  18. march — the month
  19. roll — a list
  20. band — a music group
  21. march — the month
  22. face — to confront
  23. roll — a cake
  24. band — a ring

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