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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: fall · pit · wake · bass · cue · net · mate · prune

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. net — for catching
  7. pit — a hole
  8. net — in sport
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cue — a hint
  15. net — after costs
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wake — a trail
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cue — a signal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. prune — to trim
  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