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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. squash — the sport
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. march — music
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. march — the month
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. shower — rain
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. shower — to wash
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bark — to shout

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