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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: calf · pitcher · saw · prune · branch · mouse · court · bass

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. court — for sport
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. court — of a king
  15. branch — a division
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. court — of law
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. saw — the tool
  24. branch — of a tree

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