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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: net · wound · root · dip · bass · mug · sharp · prune

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. root — of a word
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. mug — a cup
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bass — low music
  14. net — for catching
  15. sharp — clever
  16. root — the cause
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wound — an injury
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — to rob
  24. dip — to sink

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