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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bound — obliged
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. tube — the underground
  9. root — of a word
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bound — certain
  12. march — the month
  13. object — an aim
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pop — soda
  16. prune — to trim
  17. object — to protest
  18. root — the cause
  19. object — a thing
  20. pop — music
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pop — to visit
  23. tube — a container
  24. march — music

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