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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: pound · present · key · cell · coach · march · date · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. present — there
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. key — the most important part
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bark — to shout
  8. march — music
  9. present — a gift
  10. date — the fruit
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. march — the month
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. march — the month
  19. pound — a weight
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. present — the time now

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