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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bank — of a river
  5. chest — a box
  6. bank — for money
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. object — a thing
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. object — to protest
  11. roll — a cake
  12. object — an aim
  13. mine — for digging
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. plane — a tool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. march — the month
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. roll — a list
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bank — for money
  24. plane — an aircraft

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