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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bank — of a river
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. march — the month
  8. clip — a video
  9. rest — what's left
  10. march — music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bank — for money
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. court — for sport
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. rest — a break
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bank — for money
  24. rest — what's left

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