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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.

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 · bear · lash · scale · bass · saw · file · tear

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. scale — in music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tear — from crying
  9. prune — to trim
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. file — a tool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tear — to rip
  17. file — a line of people
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. file — a document
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bass — low music
  24. prune — the fruit

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