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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. prune — to trim
  2. mug — to rob
  3. march — music
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mug — a face
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mug — a cup
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wind — moving air
  12. prune — to trim
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. march — the month
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wind — moving air
  22. safe — out of danger
  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