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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · sharp · key · bat · wave · prune · chair · march

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. key — in music
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. prune — to trim
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. key — the most important part
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bat — the animal
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. march — the month
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. chair — a leader

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