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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 · rash · bark · ball · calf · bank · squash

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. squash — to crush
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. rash — hasty
  5. ball — a dance
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bark — to shout
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rash — a series
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bank — for money
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bank — for money
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bank — of a river
  19. march — music
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. march — the month
  22. squash — the sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. march — the month

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