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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 116 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rule — government
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — for money
  8. shower — rain
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rest — a break
  15. bank — for money
  16. band — a ring
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rest — what's left

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