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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wax — to grow
  3. march — the month
  4. rest — a break
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. tear — to rip
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. march — music
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. march — the month
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. tear — from crying
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. track — a song
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. temple — a place of worship

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