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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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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: deal · mate · wind · prune · foot · drill · rash · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  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. march — the month
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wind — moving air
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rash — hasty
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mate — to breed
  23. march — music
  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