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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 116 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 · can · degree · hand · clip · rush · bass · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rush — hurry
  4. hand — help
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. can — a tin
  11. bass — low music
  12. clip — a video
  13. can — a tin
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. clip — for paper
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bass — the fish
  23. degree — an amount
  24. clip — to cut

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