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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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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kick — in football
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. drill — army training
  7. march — the month
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. drill — a practice
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. march — music
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. drill — the tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. land — to come down
  24. march — the month

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