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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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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 · bark · kid · bay · stand · cap · season · hand

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. march — music
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. march — the month
  12. hand — help
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. stand — to bear
  15. kid — child
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. march — the month
  24. season — of the year

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