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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bass — low music
  4. rush — hurry
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cap — a hat
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cap — of ice
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mouse — the animal
  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