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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. march — the month
  7. rest — a break
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. march — music
  10. staff — employees
  11. rest — what's left
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. staff — employees
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. scale — in music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. march — the month
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. staff — a stick

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