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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. squash — to crush
  3. court — of law
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. squash — the sport
  7. prune — to trim
  8. suit — clothes
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wax — to grow
  16. court — of a king
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. suit — in cards
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. court — for sport
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. suit — to fit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pitch — completely

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