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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: leaves · bass · ground · net · bat · deal · prune · charge

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. ground — the earth
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bass — low music
  6. ground — a position
  7. bat — the animal
  8. charge — a price
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. ground — crushed
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bass — the fish
  17. charge — in control
  18. prune — to trim
  19. net — for catching
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. prune — to trim

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