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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 116 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: kid · lash · prune · rock · march · scale · bear · last

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bear — the animal
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. march — music
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. last — final
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kid — to tease
  10. last — finally
  11. rock — music
  12. scale — in music
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rock — a stone
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. last — to go on
  19. scale — size or range
  20. kid — child
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lash — an eyelash

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