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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.

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: bass · straw · rash · mouse · prune · plane · degree · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. rash — a series
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bass — the fish
  7. degree — an amount
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rock — a stone
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rock — music
  18. plane — a tool
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rash — hasty
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. straw — dry grass

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