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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bore — to drill
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bark — to shout
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bank — for money
  12. pop — soda
  13. stock — goods
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stock — shares
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pop — music
  21. march — the month
  22. bank — of a river
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. march — the month

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