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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pop — music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. march — music
  6. wake — a trail
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. march — the month
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. march — the month
  15. pop — to visit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. squash — to crush
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pop — soda
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. fan — a supporter

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