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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: arm · racket · mark · bass · prune · deal · last · wave

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. last — finally
  5. prune — to trim
  6. deal — to handle
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. last — final
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. last — to go on
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bass — the fish
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. prune — to trim
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mark — a grade
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bass — low music

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