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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. craft — a skill
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. lean — thin
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. shower — to wash
  11. march — the month
  12. saw — the tool
  13. craft — boats
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. prune — to trim
  16. shower — rain
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bank — for money
  19. cold — not warm
  20. march — music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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