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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bound — tied together
  3. firm — steady
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. present — there
  7. plane — a tool
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. swing — music
  11. bound — certain
  12. prune — to trim
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. firm — decided
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. present — the time now
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — in golf
  20. firm — a company
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. present — a gift
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. patient — a sick person

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