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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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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: march · cue · track · row · rash · rock · prune · capital

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. march — music
  2. track — a path
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. march — the month
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rock — music
  9. capital — a city
  10. prune — to trim
  11. capital — money
  12. track — a song
  13. row — a line
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. track — to keep track
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cue — for pool
  23. row — a quarrel
  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