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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. march — the month
  3. wound — an injury
  4. march — music
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mug — a cup
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mug — to rob
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wound — an injury
  12. can — a tin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mug — a face
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — the month
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. can — to be able to
  24. prune — to trim

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