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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
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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: mine · bass · date · prune · content · nail · trunk · rush

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bass — the fish
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mine — for digging
  6. prune — to trim
  7. content — happy
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. content — the amount
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bass — low music
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. content — videos and posts

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