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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 120 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. prune — to trim
  3. field — farmland
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spell — a short time
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitch — completely
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bass — the fish
  18. spell — letters
  19. field — a subject
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — low music
  24. spell — magic

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