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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. dip — to sink
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. file — a document
  8. bass — low music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — to drill
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bore — to tire
  13. file — a line of people
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. file — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bass — the fish

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