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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pit — in a race
  15. suit — clothes
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pit — a hole
  23. suit — in cards
  24. bark — of a tree

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