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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.

Make a worksheet

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: march · ruler · press · bass · mine · wind · date · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. march — the month
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bass — low music
  12. spell — magic
  13. press — newspapers
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spell — a short time
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mine — for digging
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — to push

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