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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lean — thin
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. prune — to trim
  6. firm — a company
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — to crush
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. firm — steady
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pound — a weight
  22. drill — army training
  23. firm — decided
  24. drill — the tool

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