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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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468
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: bass · drill · prune · court · fork · row · racket · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. prune — to trim
  3. drill — the tool
  4. row — a line
  5. drill — army training
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. court — of a king
  9. bass — low music
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bass — the fish
  12. court — for sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. row — to paddle
  15. court — of law
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. fine — all right

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