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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: wave · track · board · bulb · bark · staff · pound · march

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. march — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. board — a committee
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. track — a song
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. staff — employees
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. march — the month
  16. track — a path
  17. board — to get on
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pound — a weight
  22. march — the month
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bulb — for light

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