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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: cold · prune · bear · pass · bowl · bass · lash · wound

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cold — not warm

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