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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ground — a position
  6. face — to confront
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bank — for money
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bank — for money
  13. march — music
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. march — the month
  16. face — to point toward
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rash — a series
  19. race — a contest
  20. ground — crushed
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bark — to shout
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

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