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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. march — the month
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bass — the fish
  5. dip — to sink
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wound — an injury
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wax — to grow
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bass — low music
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wound — an injury
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. march — the month
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. march — music

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