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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 124 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. scale — in music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. present — the time now
  7. prune — to trim
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. present — there
  11. chip — to eat
  12. can — a tin
  13. kid — child
  14. scale — size or range
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. can — a tin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wax — to grow
  20. chip — for betting
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. present — a gift
  23. kid — to tease
  24. can — to be able to

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