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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · leaves · season · deal · bark · coach

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. season — of the year
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. deal — to handle
  8. march — music
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — in sport
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bark — to shout
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. 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