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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · prune · hand · row · wake · cap · spell · bay

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bass — low music
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. hand — in cards
  6. spell — letters
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. hand — help
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spell — magic
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bass — the fish
  19. cap — a hat
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. row — a line

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