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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. march — the month
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bank — for money
  14. rock — music
  15. march — music
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lean — to bend
  18. ground — a position
  19. lean — thin
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bark — to shout
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bank — for money
  24. ground — the earth

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