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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.

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: track · bat · craft · prune · perch · march · rash · rule

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. march — the month
  3. track — a song
  4. craft — boats
  5. track — a path
  6. rule — a law
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. craft — a skill
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. march — music
  15. track — to keep track
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rule — government
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rash — a series
  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