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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bass — low music
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. march — music
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. land — ground
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bass — the fish
  15. march — the month
  16. land — a country
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. march — the month
  23. land — to come down
  24. prune — to trim

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