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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cue — a signal
  4. rash — hasty
  5. court — of law
  6. net — after costs
  7. fork — in a road
  8. court — of a king
  9. net — for catching
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rash — a series
  13. court — for sport
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wax — to grow
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cue — a hint
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. net — in sport
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cue — for pool

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