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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bear — the animal
  4. march — the month
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. drill — army training
  7. march — music
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. march — the month
  20. squash — to crush
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. squash — the sport
  23. tube — a container
  24. pound — for dogs

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