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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: foot · sharp · bear · spring · march · pitcher · wake · rock

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. spring — a coil
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. foot — a measure
  5. march — the month
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spring — of water
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. march — the month
  12. bear — the animal
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bear — the animal
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. spring — the season
  24. rock — music

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