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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: wave · fan · march · last · rush · bass · mark · prune

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. march — the month
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. mark — a trace
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bass — low music
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. last — to go on

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