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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 120 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: safe · board · mark · staff · march · prune · spell · rash

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — employees
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. staff — employees
  6. prune — to trim
  7. board — a committee
  8. spell — magic
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. staff — a stick
  12. march — the month
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. board — to get on
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. march — music
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rash — hasty
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spell — letters

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