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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. march — the month
  4. current — happening now
  5. game — a match
  6. rock — a stone
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. current — electric
  10. land — to come down
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. land — ground
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rock — music
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. current — of water
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. game — wild animals
  19. land — a country
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bark — to shout
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — to trim
  24. game — a kind of play

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