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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. foot — a measure
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. lean — thin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pitch — completely
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. pound — a weight
  16. snap — to click
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wax — to grow
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pitch — a sports field

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