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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 dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. craft — a skill
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wound — an injury
  8. club — a group
  9. wound — an injury
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — boats
  12. march — the month
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. march — music
  17. club — for golf
  18. march — the month
  19. bark — to shout
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. toast — bread
  24. land — ground

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