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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. net — after costs
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rock — a stone
  10. drill — the tool
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fall — the season
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. march — the month
  20. net — in sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. drill — army training
  23. net — for catching
  24. prune — to trim

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