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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 · prune · mate · stick · pitcher · net · bound · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bound — certain
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. net — in sport
  6. bound — obliged
  7. net — after costs
  8. clip — a video
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. net — for catching
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — the instrument

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