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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 116 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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bank — for money
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bank — for money
  6. sharp — clever
  7. perch — the fish
  8. march — the month
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rock — music
  15. march — music
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. march — the month
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bass — low music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. tear — from crying

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