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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: safe · bass · clip · prune · row · rush · snap · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. pop — soda
  2. row — a line
  3. bass — low music
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pop — music
  8. rush — hurry
  9. clip — to cut
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. clip — a video
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pop — to visit
  17. row — to paddle
  18. clip — for paper
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. prune — to trim
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bass — the fish
  23. prune — to trim
  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