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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. row — a line
  3. march — the month
  4. squash — to crush
  5. band — a ring
  6. prune — to trim
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. march — the month
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. prune — to trim
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. row — to paddle

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