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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mate — to breed
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mate — a friend
  6. hand — in cards
  7. land — to come down
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. march — music
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — help
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — the month
  16. bulb — for light
  17. prune — to trim
  18. drill — army training
  19. land — ground
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mate — a partner
  23. land — a country
  24. arm — part of the body

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