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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: rock · mark · spell · plane · lean · bulb · march · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. march — the month
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lean — thin
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. march — music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spell — letters
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. spell — magic
  14. mark — a trace
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mark — a grade
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — a stone
  19. prune — to trim
  20. plane — a tool
  21. rock — music
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. plane — in geometry

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