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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: clip · perch · pit · bass · prune · cell · coach · craft

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bass — low music
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cell — in biology
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pit — a hole
  9. craft — boats
  10. prune — to trim
  11. clip — to cut
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. clip — a video
  15. prune — to trim
  16. craft — a skill
  17. pit — in a race
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bass — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — for paper
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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