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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: tube · firm · sharp · rest · prune · bass · object · pop

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. firm — steady
  3. bass — low music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rest — a break
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pop — to visit
  11. tube — a container
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pop — soda
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pop — music
  17. object — an aim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. firm — decided
  21. object — to protest
  22. firm — a company
  23. object — a thing
  24. rest — what's left

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