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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. row — a line
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bass — low music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. row — to paddle
  15. press — to push
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bass — the fish
  19. press — a publisher
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. march — the month
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. vault — a safe

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