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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 120 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: bass · hand · bore · firm · field · suit · prune · cabinet

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bore — to drill
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. hand — help
  6. bass — low music
  7. suit — to fit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. firm — decided
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. firm — steady
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. hand — in cards
  19. field — farmland
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bass — the fish
  23. firm — a company
  24. bore — to tire

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