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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 120 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: can · bass · chest · net · object · shower · rock · prune

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. object — a thing
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rock — music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. can — a tin
  9. shower — rain
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bass — the fish
  12. net — after costs
  13. chest — of your body
  14. can — a tin
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. net — in sport
  18. bass — low music
  19. object — to protest
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. net — for catching
  23. object — an aim
  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