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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 · rest · coach · bark · current · foot · rush · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. spell — magic
  4. foot — a measure
  5. march — music
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. current — happening now
  8. march — the month
  9. current — of water
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spell — a short time
  14. current — electric
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. march — the month
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rest — a break
  24. bark — 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