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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 120 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. march — the month
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stand — to bear
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. march — the month
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. band — a ring
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fine — all right
  18. march — music
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. band — a music group
  24. fine — high quality

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