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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pass — a permit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. season — of the year
  5. drill — a practice
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. drill — the tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. season — in sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — army training
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. staff — a stick
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. staff — employees
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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