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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 120 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: mate · track · wax · ball · prune · bulb · file · bass

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mate — a partner
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. file — a tool
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bass — low music
  16. track — a song
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bulb — for light
  22. file — a line of people
  23. prune — to trim
  24. file — a document

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