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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tube — the underground
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pass — a permit
  5. scale — in music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bass — low music
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bass — the fish
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. tube — a container
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. sharp — clever

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