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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a skill
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. march — the month
  10. drill — army training
  11. march — the month
  12. squash — the sport
  13. march — music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. drill — a practice
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. prune — to trim
  20. squash — to crush
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. perch — the fish
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. perch — for a bird

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