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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.

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: bass · deal · wind · jam · stem · net · prune · fan

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. net — in sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bass — low music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. net — for catching
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. net — after costs
  19. stem — to come from
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wind — moving air

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