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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mate — a friend
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mark — a grade
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wake — a trail
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mate — a partner
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fan — a supporter

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