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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: racket · sharp · prune · bat · nail · scale · bass · rest

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bass — low music
  15. rest — what's left
  16. scale — in music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. prune — to trim
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. scale — size or range

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