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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.

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: fine · march · bark · sharp · club · band · row · racket

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. march — music
  8. band — a music group
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. row — a line
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. club — a group
  15. sharp — clever
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. march — the month
  18. club — for golf
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fine — all right
  21. march — the month
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. row — to paddle
  24. band — a ring

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