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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: shower · toast · pound · hide · bass · pitch · prune · pop

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. toast — bread
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. prune — to trim
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. pop — music
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pound — a weight
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pop — soda
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. shower — rain
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pop — to visit

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