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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bank — of a river
  3. wake — a trail
  4. prune — to trim
  5. march — the month
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rash — hasty
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. suit — to fit
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. march — music
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. saw — the tool
  18. march — the month
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rash — a series
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. saw — the tool

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