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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. file — a document
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wake — a trail
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bass — low music

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