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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bass — low music
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bass — the fish
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. land — a country
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bound — certain
  17. land — to come down
  18. cue — for pool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. net — in sport
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bound — obliged
  24. land — ground

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