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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 120 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: arm · bound · rash · prune · pop · mug · saw · bass

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bound — certain
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pop — soda
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pop — to visit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mug — a face
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rash — a series
  16. bass — low music
  17. mug — a cup
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bass — the fish
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pop — music

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