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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 120 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: leaves · drill · mark · march · prune · object · coach · last

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. drill — the tool
  5. march — music
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. march — the month
  9. last — finally
  10. object — a thing
  11. last — to go on
  12. march — the month
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mark — a grade
  18. last — final
  19. prune — to trim
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mark — a trace

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