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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. prune — to trim
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. march — the month
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. file — a document
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. file — a line of people
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. craft — boats
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. craft — a skill
  18. march — the month
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. perch — the fish
  21. file — a tool
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chair — a leader

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