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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wound — an injury
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. march — music
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. drill — the tool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wake — a trail
  16. march — the month
  17. season — in sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — of the year
  20. march — the month
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. drill — army training
  23. rash — on the skin
  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