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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: deal · bore · perch · march · bark · mate · nail · stem

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mate — to breed
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bore — to tire
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mate — a partner
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. deal — to handle
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. deal — an agreement

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