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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. drill — army training
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. last — to go on
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rock — a stone
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. last — final
  10. pound — a weight
  11. last — finally
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. drill — a practice
  15. can — a tin
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rock — music
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fine — all right
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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