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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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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: plane · prune · pit · wind · bay · bore · bass · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cold — an illness
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bore — to drill
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. prune — to trim
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pit — a hole
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cold — not warm
  24. wind — moving air

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