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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: mouse · net · march · rock · cap · prune · fall · land

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. march — music
  3. net — for catching
  4. land — a country
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cap — a hat
  7. fall — the season
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. march — the month
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. net — after costs
  22. rock — a stone
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. march — the month

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