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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: spell · face · prune · band · bay · pound · march · land

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. land — a country
  3. march — the month
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. face — part of the head
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. band — a music group
  10. spell — letters
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. pound — a weight
  16. march — the month
  17. face — to point toward
  18. march — music
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. face — to confront
  24. band — a ring

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