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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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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 · deal · rest · prune · staff · wake · bass · kick

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bass — low music
  6. rest — what's left
  7. deal — to handle
  8. kick — in football
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wake — a trail
  11. march — the month
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. staff — employees
  14. march — music
  15. rest — a break
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rest — what's left
  19. march — the month
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. staff — employees
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. staff — a stick

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