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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: prune · racket · pound · shower · cap · bass · trunk · mark

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. shower — rain
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cap — a hat
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pound — a weight
  19. mark — a grade
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. shower — to wash
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — low music

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