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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
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: mate · prune · fall · rush · ruler · march · last · foot

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fall — to drop
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. prune — to trim
  7. march — music
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mate — a partner
  10. fall — the season
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. march — the month
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. last — finally
  15. fall — to drop
  16. march — the month
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. last — to go on
  23. rush — hurry
  24. last — final

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