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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. swing — music
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. row — a line
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. craft — boats
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. march — the month
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bark — to shout
  21. chair — a leader
  22. swing — to play on
  23. row — to paddle
  24. craft — a skill

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