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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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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: bass · saw · lean · drill · suit · last · stick · prune

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bass — low music
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bass — the fish
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. lean — thin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. last — final
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. suit — clothes
  17. suit — in cards
  18. prune — to trim
  19. last — finally
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. last — to go on
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. drill — army training
  24. prune — the fruit

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