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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: last · bulb · band · staff · spell · prune · face · lean

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. last — to go on
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. spell — a short time
  5. band — a music group
  6. lean — to bend
  7. last — final
  8. lean — thin
  9. staff — a stick
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. prune — to trim
  13. staff — employees
  14. band — a ring
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. staff — employees
  19. bulb — for light
  20. last — finally
  21. bulb — for light
  22. prune — to trim
  23. face — part of the head
  24. spell — letters

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