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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: march · suit · wound · prune · ruler · mouse · toast · mate

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. suit — to fit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wound — an injury
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wound — an injury
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. suit — clothes
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. march — the month
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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