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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. board — to get on
  3. march — the month
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bear — the animal
  7. kid — child
  8. tube — the underground
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. scale — in music
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. march — music
  14. board — a committee
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. tube — a container
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bear — the animal
  22. march — the month
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. kid — to tease

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