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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. band — a ring
  5. rock — music
  6. march — the month
  7. object — an aim
  8. wound — an injury
  9. prune — to trim
  10. object — to protest
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. object — a thing
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rock — a stone
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. snap — to click
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bulb — of a plant

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