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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. march — the month
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. march — music
  21. land — to come down
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mug — a face
  24. deal — to handle

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