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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 116 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: prune · present · bass · staff · last · bat · trunk · bowl

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. staff — employees
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. last — finally
  11. bass — the fish
  12. staff — employees
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. prune — to trim
  19. present — the time now
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bat — the animal

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