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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
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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: march · prune · toast · staff · leaves · track · cold · bulb

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. staff — employees
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. track — a path
  5. prune — to trim
  6. staff — employees
  7. bulb — for light
  8. march — the month
  9. track — a song
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. staff — a stick
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bulb — for light
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. march — the month
  23. cold — not warm
  24. toast — bread

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