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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 116 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: bat · bowl · prune · row · march · deal · bass · lean

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. lean — thin
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. march — the month
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. march — music
  19. row — a line
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. march — the month
  22. bass — low music
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lean — to rest against

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