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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. last — finally
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. march — the month
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. deal — to handle
  9. last — final
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. last — to go on
  13. lean — thin
  14. rash — a series
  15. branch — a division
  16. prune — to trim
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. lean — to bend
  19. march — the month
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. march — music
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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