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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. rash — a series
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rock — music
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rock — a stone
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. prune — to trim
  16. march — the month
  17. branch — a division
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. sharp — clever
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. prune — to trim
  24. calf — a young animal

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