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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 · lash · prune · pop · bay · tube · temple · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. prune — to trim
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pop — soda
  9. band — a ring
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. march — the month
  14. pop — music
  15. march — music
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. tube — the underground
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pop — to visit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tube — a container
  24. march — the month

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