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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stock — shares
  4. march — music
  5. prune — to trim
  6. march — the month
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bulb — for light
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. present — a gift
  18. stock — goods
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. present — there
  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