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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: prune · last · degree · mouse · bass · band · bay · row

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. band — a ring
  3. row — to paddle
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. last — final
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bass — low music
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. degree — an amount
  22. row — a line
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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