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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: bass · prune · charge · bore · race · roll · mouse · fan

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. race — a contest
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. charge — in control
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. race — humankind
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bore — to tire
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bass — low music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bore — to drill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. race — the arms race
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bass — the fish
  22. roll — a list
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mouse — for a computer

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