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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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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: net · wax · cue · bass · rash · staff · ruler · prune

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cue — for pool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. net — after costs
  9. wax — to grow
  10. staff — employees
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. staff — employees
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. rash — a series
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wax — in the ear

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