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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 120 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 · present · clip · rock · bass · row · wound · coach

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. clip — for paper
  3. row — a line
  4. clip — to cut
  5. prune — to trim
  6. present — a gift
  7. clip — a video
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. present — there
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bass — low music
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. present — the time now
  17. rock — a stone
  18. row — to paddle
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rock — music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wound — an injury

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