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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: sharp · firm · bass · squash · content · row · nail · prune

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. sharp — clever
  4. firm — decided
  5. row — to paddle
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. prune — to trim
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. firm — steady
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. content — happy
  16. squash — to crush
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. squash — the sport
  21. row — a line
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. firm — a company
  24. nail — on a finger

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