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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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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: wake · ground · prune · rock · march · file · roll · craft

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rock — music
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. march — the month
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. roll — a cake
  11. craft — a skill
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. march — the month
  16. craft — boats
  17. roll — a list
  18. prune — to trim
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. prune — to trim
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. file — a line of people
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. march — music

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