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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. present — there
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ground — crushed
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. drill — army training
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. deal — to handle
  14. march — the month
  15. present — a gift
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. ground — a position
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. fork — in a road
  21. ground — the earth
  22. present — the time now
  23. drill — a practice
  24. hide — to keep secret

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