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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · mine · prune · rule · drill · temple · march · stand

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. game — a match
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. stand — to bear
  10. prune — to trim
  11. march — music
  12. game — wild animals
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — a practice
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. drill — army training
  19. rule — a law
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rule — government

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