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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bass · drill · pit · ground · face · band · safe

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. drill — the tool
  5. face — to point toward
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bass — low music
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. prune — to trim
  12. band — a ring
  13. ground — a position
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. drill — army training
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. face — part of the head
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pit — a hole
  23. face — to confront
  24. drill — a practice

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