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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. season — in sport
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bat — the animal
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. season — of the year
  17. lie — to recline
  18. kid — child
  19. pit — in a race
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bass — low music
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. kid — to tease

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