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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · race · staff · rest · field · prune · march · plane

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. present — the time now
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. prune — to trim
  6. present — a gift
  7. plane — a tool
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. rest — a break
  13. staff — a stick
  14. march — music
  15. field — a subject
  16. march — the month
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rest — what's left
  19. staff — employees
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. race — a contest
  22. present — there
  23. rest — what's left
  24. staff — employees

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