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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. drill — army training
  4. chair — a leader
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fork — in a road
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. club — a group
  9. wax — to grow
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. tear — from crying
  13. prune — to trim
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. tear — to rip
  20. can — to be able to
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wax — in the ear

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