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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bank — for money
  3. court — for sport
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bass — low music
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. bank — for money
  12. cap — a hat
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bank — of a river
  18. cap — of ice
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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