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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. land — to come down
  4. scale — in music
  5. tube — a container
  6. key — in music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. land — ground
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. land — a country
  24. bear — the animal

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