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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 · rock · rash · leaves · face · cold · wake · bass

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rock — music
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rash — a series
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bass — the fish
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. face — to confront
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bass — low music
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rock — to move gently

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