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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. prune — to trim
  3. row — to paddle
  4. spell — letters
  5. mark — a trace
  6. prune — to trim
  7. club — for golf
  8. net — for catching
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. net — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wax — to grow
  16. net — after costs
  17. row — a line
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. spell — magic
  24. wax — in the ear

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