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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: lie · prune · bass · ball · row · last · cue · scale

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. cue — a hint
  3. row — a line
  4. prune — to trim
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. scale — in music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. last — finally
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. last — final
  12. ball — a great time
  13. last — to go on
  14. scale — size or range
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cue — a signal
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bass — the fish
  22. ball — a dance
  23. lie — to recline
  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