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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: spring · court · roll · pop · bass · net · prune · safe

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a list
  3. prune — to trim
  4. court — of law
  5. net — after costs
  6. bass — the fish
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spring — the season
  10. roll — a cake
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pop — to visit
  13. spring — of water
  14. pop — soda
  15. net — for catching
  16. pop — music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. net — in sport
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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