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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: stand · vault · mark · prune · deal · march · season · last

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. last — to go on
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. season — in sport
  6. deal — to handle
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mark — a grade
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mark — a trace
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. march — music
  13. last — finally
  14. march — the month
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — final
  18. stand — to bear
  19. season — of the year
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. march — the month
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. prune — the fruit

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