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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. march — music
  3. staff — employees
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fork — in a road
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. march — the month
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. staff — employees
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rash — a series
  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