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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 116 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. drill — army training
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. dip — to sink
  10. present — a gift
  11. wind — moving air
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. band — a music group
  15. present — there
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. present — the time now
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. band — a ring

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