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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · chest · mug · bark · march · safe · date · prune

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. march — the month
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mug — to rob
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. chest — of your body
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for golf
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. march — music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mug — a face
  17. chest — a box
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. march — the month
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bark — to shout

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