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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 120 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. band — a ring
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cue — for pool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. charge — in control
  7. track — a path
  8. bound — tied together
  9. track — a song
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bound — obliged
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bear — the animal
  15. band — a music group
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. track — to keep track
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bound — certain
  20. charge — a price
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cue — a hint
  23. prune — to trim
  24. plane — in geometry

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