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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: prune · march · bass · bore · rash · stem · lash · trunk

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. march — the month
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bass — low music
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bass — the fish
  15. prune — to trim
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rash — a series
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. march — music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bore — to drill

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