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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rock — a stone
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cue — a signal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cue — for pool
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cue — a hint
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fine — all right
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fine — high quality
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. clip — a video
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. clip — for paper

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