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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.

Make a worksheet

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: ball · kick · saw · row · bear · wake · bass · prune

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. bass — low music
  7. wake — a trail
  8. ball — a great time
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bear — the animal
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a dance

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