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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. fall — the season
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cue — a hint
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wake — a trail
  16. scale — size or range
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fall — to drop

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