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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 · game · fall · temple · file · prune · calf · bark

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. march — the month
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. prune — to trim
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fall — the season
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. prune — to trim
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. game — a match
  21. file — a tool
  22. bark — to shout
  23. file — a document
  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