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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: bound · pit · prune · bass · straw · snap · bay · pitcher

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bound — certain
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bass — low music
  18. snap — to click
  19. pit — a hole
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pit — in a race
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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