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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 116 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: bass · bark · leaves · march · calf · lean · pitcher · bore

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. march — music
  10. lean — thin
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bass — the fish
  24. leaves — of a tree

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