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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: trunk · prune · rash · bank · swing · bass · kid · degree

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bank — of a river
  3. rash — a series
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. prune — to trim
  6. swing — in golf
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bank — for money
  12. rash — hasty
  13. kid — to tease
  14. swing — music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bass — the fish
  20. degree — temperature
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. kid — child
  23. bank — for money
  24. bass — low music

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