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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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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cue — a signal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cue — for pool
  7. staff — a stick
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cue — a hint
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. staff — employees
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. band — a music group
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wax — to grow
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. staff — employees
  20. band — a ring
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. band — a rubber band

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