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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. suit — in cards
  6. cue — for pool
  7. track — to keep track
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. track — a path
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. file — a tool
  16. snap — to click
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. prune — to trim
  21. track — a song
  22. file — a document
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bowl — a football final

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