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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. mug — a face
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mug — a cup

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