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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: leaves · suit · bass · bark · march · bore · saw · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. march — the month
  3. bore — to tire
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. suit — in cards
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. march — the month
  10. saw — the tool
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bass — the fish
  17. saw — the tool
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. march — music
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — low music
  24. hide — animal skin

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