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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mate — a friend
  7. scale — in music
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bulb — for light
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bark — to shout
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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