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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. march — music
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. board — a committee
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. prune — to trim
  11. roll — a cake
  12. march — the month
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pass — a permit
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. board — to get on
  21. roll — a list
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. branch — a division
  24. tube — a container

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