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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: field · dip · stick · shower · row · prune · last · march

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. last — finally
  3. march — the month
  4. field — farmland
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. dip — to sink
  8. row — to paddle
  9. march — the month
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. march — music
  12. field — for sport
  13. row — a line
  14. shower — to wash
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. last — final
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. last — to go on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. field — a subject

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