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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: lean · jam · saw · last · sharp · prune · spell · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. saw — the tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. saw — the tool
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. prune — to trim
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. spell — letters
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bass — the fish
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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