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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. ball — a dance
  7. degree — from a university
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bear — the animal
  14. degree — an amount
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bass — the fish
  19. ball — a great time
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wound — an injury
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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