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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. last — to go on
  4. prune — to trim
  5. band — a music group
  6. cue — for pool
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cue — a hint
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. prune — to trim
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cue — a signal
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. scale — in music
  17. cell — a phone
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cell — in biology
  20. band — a ring
  21. snap — to click
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. scale — size or range

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