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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: prune · pit · land · nail · pitcher · bass · trunk · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bass — the fish
  6. prune — to trim
  7. land — a country
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. land — to come down
  13. bass — low music
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. land — ground
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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