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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: prune · stand · mine · toast · saw · march · ruler · sharp

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. march — the month
  4. prune — to trim
  5. sharp — clever
  6. march — the month
  7. toast — bread
  8. march — music
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stand — to bear
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. ruler — for measuring

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