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

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. season — of the year
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. prune — to trim
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. saw — the tool
  15. season — in sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — to trim
  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