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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. craft — a skill
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rest — a break
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. rest — what's left
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. drill — army training
  12. rest — what's left
  13. drill — a practice
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. lie — to recline
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. prune — to trim
  21. craft — boats
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. lie — an untruth

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