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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bank — of a river
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. bank — for money
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. present — there
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. present — a gift
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bank — for money
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. march — the month
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mark — a trace
  22. march — the month
  23. present — the time now
  24. last — final

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