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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: bark · row · season · wave · march · object · ground · spell

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. ground — crushed
  3. object — to protest
  4. spell — magic
  5. bark — to shout
  6. object — a thing
  7. march — music
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. season — in sport
  10. spell — a short time
  11. row — a line
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. ground — a position
  15. march — the month
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. object — an aim
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. row — to paddle
  21. spell — letters
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — the earth

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