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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: tear · race · bass · ball · arm · prune · mug · net

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. ball — a great time
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bass — the fish
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. race — humankind
  8. mug — to rob
  9. prune — to trim
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bass — low music
  12. mug — a face
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. tear — from crying
  15. net — for catching
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — in sport
  18. mug — a cup
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. race — a contest
  22. net — after costs
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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