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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. row — a line
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rush — hurry
  5. race — humankind
  6. prune — to trim
  7. row — to paddle
  8. race — a contest
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rock — music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rock — a stone
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bass — low music
  24. prune — to trim

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