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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mate — a friend
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wax — to grow
  11. spring — of water
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. mate — a partner
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. spring — a coil
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. stand — to bear
  24. mate — to breed

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