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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. march — music
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bass — the fish
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. ground — crushed
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rock — a stone
  13. land — a country
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. rock — music
  16. degree — from a university
  17. ground — a position
  18. degree — temperature
  19. march — the month
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bass — low music
  23. stand — to bear
  24. march — the month

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