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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 116 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bass — low music
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. hand — help
  13. spring — of water
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bark — to shout
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spring — the season
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. kid — child
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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