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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: present · march · prune · leaves · race · stand · wind · row

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. race — a contest
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. prune — to trim
  22. race — the arms race
  23. march — the month
  24. present — a gift

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