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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · chair · bat · date · rock · march · lash · pop

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pop — soda
  3. march — music
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. march — the month
  8. chair — a leader
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pop — to visit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rock — a stone
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pop — music
  17. bat — the animal
  18. date — the fruit
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rock — music
  24. lash — to lash out

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