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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. season — in sport
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bear — the animal
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cue — a signal
  13. row — a line
  14. season — of the year
  15. scale — in music
  16. cue — a hint
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cue — for pool
  21. prune — to trim
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. row — a quarrel

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