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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 · fan · spell · mine · bass · pitch · drill · cue

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. drill — a practice
  3. cue — for pool
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. drill — army training
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mine — for digging
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spell — magic
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spell — letters
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cue — a signal
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. spell — a short time
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pitch — completely
  24. drill — the tool

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