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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. drill — a practice
  3. can — to be able to
  4. board — a committee
  5. hand — help
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. drill — the tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. march — the month
  14. stem — to come from
  15. prune — to trim
  16. hand — in cards
  17. land — a country
  18. drill — army training
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. land — ground
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. land — to come down
  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