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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 116 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: bank · ruler · firm · saw · wave · prune · cold · march

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bank — for money
  4. firm — decided
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bank — for money
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. march — the month
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. firm — steady
  12. saw — the tool
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. march — the month
  17. bank — of a river
  18. march — music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. firm — a company
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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