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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: bound · saw · rash · spell · date · prune · cell · bass

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rash — a series
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bass — the fish
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. saw — the tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bass — low music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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