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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. spell — a short time
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cold — an illness
  9. spell — letters
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cue — a signal
  12. spell — magic
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. scale — size or range
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bulb — for light
  24. prune — to trim

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