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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bore — to tire
  6. current — of water
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — happening now
  15. squash — the sport
  16. current — electric
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bass — low music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pop — music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. row — to paddle
  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