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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. scale — in music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pop — to visit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wax — to grow
  8. scale — size or range
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pop — music
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pop — soda
  23. deal — to handle
  24. lash — an eyelash

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