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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. mate — to breed
  2. rock — a stone
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rock — music
  6. clip — a video
  7. spell — letters
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. fall — the season
  12. clip — to cut
  13. fall — to drop
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. spell — magic
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. clip — for paper
  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