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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: mug · court · prune · kid · cold · bear · wave · bass

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. court — of a king
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bass — the fish
  9. court — of law
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kid — child
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. court — for sport
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bass — low music
  23. mug — a face
  24. prune — to trim

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