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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: ruler · trunk · wax · prune · band · march · bass · race

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. band — a music group
  5. wax — to grow
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. race — a contest
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. march — the month
  13. race — humankind
  14. band — a ring
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. prune — to trim
  19. march — the month
  20. bass — the fish
  21. march — music
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bass — low music
  24. ruler — for measuring

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