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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. staff — employees
  3. rock — a stone
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. ground — crushed
  6. march — the month
  7. staff — employees
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. ground — a position
  12. march — the month
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rock — music
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. saw — the tool
  17. staff — a stick
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. prune — to trim
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. saw — the tool
  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