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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: bowl · prune · rest · plane · chest · jam · bass · row

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. rest — what's left
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rest — a break
  9. chest — a box
  10. bass — the fish
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bass — low music
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. row — to paddle
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. prune — to trim
  22. row — a line
  23. rest — what's left
  24. jam — in traffic

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