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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 · chair · prune · fan · band · squash · bass · saw

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. band — a music group
  8. squash — to crush
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bass — low music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chair — a leader
  13. band — a ring
  14. squash — the sport
  15. lean — thin
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. saw — the tool
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. prune — to trim
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. saw — the tool

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