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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. spell — magic
  3. charge — a price
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. march — the month
  7. roll — a list
  8. march — music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. band — a music group
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. spell — a short time
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — the tool
  16. charge — electricity
  17. stock — shares
  18. saw — the tool
  19. roll — a cake
  20. spell — letters
  21. charge — in control
  22. stock — goods
  23. band — a ring
  24. prune — to trim

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