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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: firm · dip · fan · prune · deal · wound · spell · bass

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. prune — to trim
  7. deal — to handle
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — a company
  10. bass — low music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. dip — to sink
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wound — an injury
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bass — the fish
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spell — magic
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spell — letters
  24. dip — to dunk

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