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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rest — what's left
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wax — to grow
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cold — not warm
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rest — what's left
  11. present — a gift
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. present — there
  15. rest — a break
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. present — the time now
  24. key — in 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