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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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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: pass · cue · cold · bear · wind · scale · lie · prune

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cue — for pool
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. scale — in music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cue — a signal
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pass — a permit

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