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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. object — an aim
  4. bound — certain
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. object — a thing
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bound — tied together
  17. object — to protest
  18. wax — in the ear

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