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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: race · band · cap · spell · bass · bay · ball · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cap — of ice
  4. spell — magic
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ball — a great time
  7. race — humankind
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. band — a music group
  13. cap — a lid
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. race — a contest
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. spell — letters
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bass — low music
  23. race — the arms race
  24. band — a ring

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