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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. prune — to trim
  9. march — the month
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chest — a box
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. chest — of your body
  14. march — the month
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bulb — for light
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bank — for money
  24. march — 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