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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — to trim
  8. band — a ring
  9. rock — music
  10. wax — to grow
  11. chest — a box
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. roll — a list
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chest — of your body
  20. band — a music group
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. roll — a cake
  24. rock — a stone

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