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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. march — music
  2. object — a thing
  3. current — electric
  4. object — an aim
  5. face — to point toward
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. current — happening now
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wind — moving air
  12. current — of water
  13. object — to protest
  14. tube — a container
  15. face — to confront
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. face — part of the head
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. prune — to trim
  20. march — the month
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. march — the month
  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