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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: cap · shower · bass · prune · track · content · roll · fine

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cap — of ice
  3. shower — rain
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. track — a song
  8. bass — the fish
  9. roll — a list
  10. track — a path
  11. content — happy
  12. fine — all right
  13. roll — a cake
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bass — low music
  17. cap — a hat
  18. content — the amount
  19. shower — to wash
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bass — the instrument
  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