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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · firm · mouse · tear · cue · saw · prune · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. firm — steady
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. ground — a position
  9. cue — for pool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. club — a group
  13. firm — a company
  14. saw — the tool
  15. firm — decided
  16. club — for golf
  17. ground — the earth
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tear — to rip
  20. cue — a signal
  21. ground — crushed
  22. tear — from crying
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cue — a hint

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