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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: ball · prune · pitch · pass · last · object · bass · branch

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. ball — a dance
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. branch — a division
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bass — low music
  13. last — final
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. prune — to trim
  16. object — an aim
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pass — a permit
  19. last — to go on
  20. object — a thing
  21. last — finally
  22. object — to protest
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. branch — of a bank

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