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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. ground — a position
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. net — for catching
  8. toast — bread
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. net — after costs
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. swing — to play on
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. net — in sport
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. ground — the earth
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ground — crushed
  24. prune — to trim

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