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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: prune · shower · pitcher · roll · object · bulb · bass · racket

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. shower — to wash
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. object — to protest
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bulb — for light
  11. object — an aim
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. object — a thing
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. roll — a list
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bass — the fish
  23. shower — rain
  24. prune — to trim

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