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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: pop · file · can · bass · cue · rash · prune · tear

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rash — hasty
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cue — for pool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rash — a series
  9. bass — low music
  10. cue — a hint
  11. prune — to trim
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. pop — to visit
  16. tear — from crying
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pop — soda
  19. file — a tool
  20. pop — music
  21. cue — a signal
  22. file — a document
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rash — on the skin

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