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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: march · shower · bass · prune · swing · bowl · current · hand

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. swing — music
  5. current — happening now
  6. bass — low music
  7. shower — to wash
  8. march — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. march — the month
  14. shower — rain
  15. prune — to trim
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. swing — in golf
  19. march — the month
  20. current — of water
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. prune — to trim
  23. current — electric
  24. hand — in cards

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