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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. march — the month
  3. content — happy
  4. track — a song
  5. march — music
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bark — to shout
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. march — the month
  12. track — to keep track
  13. content — the amount
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wake — a trail
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. track — a path
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. shower — to wash
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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