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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bass — low music
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. lean — thin
  5. net — after costs
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. net — in sport
  10. bass — the fish
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. shower — to wash
  17. hand — help
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. prune — to trim
  21. net — for catching
  22. shower — rain
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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