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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. saw — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. march — music
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. board — to get on
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rock — a stone
  21. board — a committee
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. rock — music
  24. march — the month

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