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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mouse · prune · cold · ball · rock · mark · fine · wax

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rock — music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wax — to grow
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mark — a trace
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mark — a grade
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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