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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. court — of law
  3. date — the fruit
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. march — the month
  7. court — for sport
  8. scale — in music
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. court — of a king
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. march — the month
  14. dip — to sink
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. scale — size or range
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. march — music
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stem — to come from

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