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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · band · dip · spell · date · lash · arm · prune

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. spell — magic
  5. date — the fruit
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. spell — letters
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. band — a ring
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. march — the month
  12. dip — to sink
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. prune — to trim
  18. band — a music group
  19. spell — a short time
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. march — the month

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