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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 120 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: land · key · march · mine · bear · shower · leaves · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. march — the month
  5. bear — the animal
  6. land — to come down
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mine — for digging
  9. key — for a lock
  10. march — the month
  11. bear — the animal
  12. march — music
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. key — in music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. key — the most important part
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. shower — rain
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mine — belonging to me

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