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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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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: racket · pass · wound · fall · kid · bass · wake · prune

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wake — a trail
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bass — low music
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fall — the season
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wound — an injury
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kid — child
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. fall — to drop

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