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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: mate · rock · prune · coach · wound · bay · bass · kid

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bass — low music
  3. kid — child
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wound — an injury
  6. prune — to trim
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mate — a partner
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. mate — to breed
  15. prune — to trim
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rock — music
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rock — a stone
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bass — the fish
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wound — an injury

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