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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. clip — for paper
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. last — to go on
  10. clip — to cut
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. deal — to handle
  14. clip — a video
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bass — the fish
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. prune — to trim
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. current — happening now

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