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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. march — the month
  3. fall — the season
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. chair — a leader
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bank — for money
  11. rock — a stone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bank — for money
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rock — music
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. march — music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bank — of a river
  24. march — the month

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