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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rest — what's left
  7. track — a song
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rock — music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rush — hurry
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wind — moving air
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. track — a path
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rush — to hurry

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