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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lie · fan · game · season · march · hand · date · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. hand — help
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. march — music
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. date — the fruit
  12. game — a match
  13. march — the month
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. season — in sport
  18. lie — to recline
  19. march — the month
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hand — in cards
  24. season — of the year

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