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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: rash · leaves · club · prune · bass · mine · chip · pop

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pop — to visit
  5. club — for dancing
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rash — hasty
  8. club — for golf
  9. rash — a series
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bass — low music
  14. mine — for digging
  15. club — a group
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chip — for betting
  24. prune — to trim

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