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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rock — music
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rock — a stone
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. staff — employees
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. staff — employees
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. prune — to trim

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