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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 120 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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. can — a tin
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. march — music
  8. drill — army training
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. march — the month
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. can — a tin
  13. march — the month
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bass — low music
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bass — the fish
  24. calf — of the leg

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