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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: bass · swing · kid · sharp · arm · prune · wake · pitch

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pitch — completely
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bass — low music
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. kid — child
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wake — a trail
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bass — the fish
  18. swing — music
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. prune — to trim
  24. sharp — exactly

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