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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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Word bank
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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: tear · mate · trunk · prune · scale · ball · bear · cue

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. ball — a dance
  4. tear — from crying
  5. prune — to trim
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mate — a friend
  10. scale — in music
  11. mate — a partner
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. mate — to breed
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. scale — size or range
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cue — a signal
  18. tear — to rip
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bear — the animal

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