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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pop — music
  4. wax — to grow
  5. march — music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. spring — the season
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chip — for betting
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — the month
  16. season — in sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pop — soda
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. season — of the year
  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