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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · snap · sharp · lie · squash · content · leaves · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. content — the amount
  3. snap — to click
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bass — the fish
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. sharp — clever
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. content — happy
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. prune — to trim
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. prune — to trim
  22. squash — to crush
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. lie — an untruth

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