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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: kid · prune · pit · spell · bass · row · cabinet · bowl

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kid — child
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. row — a line
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. spell — a short time
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. spell — magic
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spell — letters
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. kid — to tease
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a quarrel

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