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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 120 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: lean · bass · game · calf · press · dip · prune · march

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. lean — thin
  3. bass — low music
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. dip — to sink
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. march — the month
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. march — music
  13. press — a publisher
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — the month
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. press — newspapers
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. press — to push
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. dip — to dunk

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