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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 · prune · bass · spell · lean · rush · face · calf

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. bass — low music
  3. spell — a short time
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. face — to point toward
  8. march — the month
  9. bass — the fish
  10. lean — thin
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. spell — magic
  14. lean — to bend
  15. spell — letters
  16. face — to confront
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. march — the month
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. calf — of the leg
  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