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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. march — the month
  3. roll — a cake
  4. prune — to trim
  5. march — music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. current — happening now
  10. present — a gift
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. current — of water
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. present — there
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. prune — to trim
  19. current — electric
  20. present — the time now
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. prune — the fruit
  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