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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: squash · prune · dip · pitch · bore · bass · spell · drill

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pitch — completely
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bore — to drill
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. prune — to trim
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. dip — to sink
  12. drill — a practice
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. prune — to trim
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bass — low music
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. drill — army training
  19. squash — the sport
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bass — the instrument

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