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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: cap · lean · staff · wound · ball · current · bass · prune

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lean — thin
  4. cap — of ice
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. staff — employees
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. current — electric
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bass — the fish
  18. staff — a stick
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cap — a hat
  21. staff — employees
  22. ball — a great time
  23. current — of water
  24. current — happening now

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