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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: season · bay · wave · arm · court · prune · bass · date

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. season — of the year
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. date — the fruit
  8. court — of a king
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bass — low music
  12. season — in sport
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. court — of law
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. court — for sport
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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