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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: snap · bass · bowl · degree · row · prune · wave · bound

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bass — low music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bound — obliged
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. degree — temperature
  18. row — a line
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bound — certain
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bowl — a dish

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