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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. drill — army training
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. field — a subject
  7. prune — to trim
  8. suit — in cards
  9. mark — a grade
  10. drill — a practice
  11. suit — to fit
  12. drill — the tool
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. march — the month
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. mark — a trace
  19. field — for sport
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. suit — clothes
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. field — farmland

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