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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 · jam · face · bark · calf · mug · bay · spring

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mug — a cup
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. march — the month
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. march — the month
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mug — a face
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. march — music
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. spring — the season
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. mug — to rob
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. bark — to shout
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. face — to confront
  24. calf — of the leg

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