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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · scale · spring · chair · wave · bass · stick · dip

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. spring — the season
  3. chair — a leader
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bass — low music
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — to sink
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. scale — in music
  16. spring — of water
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. spring — a coil
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. chair — a professorship

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