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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: pitcher · bass · toast · fall · prune · pop · net · row

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. net — after costs
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pop — music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. net — for catching
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. row — a line
  14. net — in sport
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. bass — low music
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. toast — bread
  22. fall — the season
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fall — to drop

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