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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. perch — the fish
  3. net — after costs
  4. object — a thing
  5. root — the cause
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wax — to grow
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. net — for catching
  11. lean — to bend
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. object — to protest
  15. prune — to trim
  16. root — of a word
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. root — of a plant
  19. object — an aim
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. net — in sport
  22. lean — thin
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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