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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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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bound — certain
  3. net — for catching
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. net — after costs
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — in sport
  18. bark — to shout
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wax — for sculpting

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