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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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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 · bulb · bass · rash · track · kick · plane · mate

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mate — a friend
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. kick — in football
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bass — low music
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rash — a series
  24. plane — a tool

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