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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. cue — a signal
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. key — the most important part
  7. prune — to trim
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. key — for a lock
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. key — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. prune — to trim
  14. scale — size or range
  15. shower — rain
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. scale — in music
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cue — a hint

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