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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bark — to shout
  5. march — music
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. march — the month
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chair — a leader
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. shower — rain
  20. fall — to drop
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. march — the month
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fall — to drop

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