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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: wake · march · bark · tear · bass · ball · stick · drill

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ball — a great time
  3. drill — army training
  4. bark — to shout
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. march — the month
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. drill — the tool
  14. march — the month
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. drill — a practice
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bass — the instrument

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