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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fork — in a road
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. fall — the season
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wax — to grow
  15. prune — to trim
  16. band — a ring
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. clip — a video
  20. band — a music group
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. toast — bread

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