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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: roll · pop · season · staff · rush · prune · march · hand

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. season — of the year
  3. hand — help
  4. pop — music
  5. staff — employees
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rush — hurry
  8. march — the month
  9. pop — to visit
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. season — in sport
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pop — soda
  19. staff — a stick
  20. hand — in cards
  21. march — the month
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. staff — employees

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