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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pop — to visit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. march — the month
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. prune — to trim
  9. march — the month
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. pop — soda
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. row — to paddle
  16. march — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — 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