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

Word bank: march · staff · fan · suit · bark · track

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. track — a path
  6. march — the month
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. track — to keep track
  10. suit — to fit
  11. bark — to shout
  12. march — music
  13. staff — employees
  14. suit — clothes
  15. track — a song
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. suit — in cards
  18. fan — a supporter

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