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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. march — music
  7. mine — for digging
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. march — the month
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wake — a trail
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — before a funeral

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