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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. march — the month
  4. chest — a box
  5. swing — to play on
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. object — to protest
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. object — a thing
  15. swing — music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. swing — in golf
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bark — to shout
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. object — an aim
  23. march — the month
  24. chest — of your body

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