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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. scale — in music
  4. bat — the animal
  5. scale — size or range
  6. firm — a company
  7. march — music
  8. current — electric
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. net — for catching
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. firm — decided
  14. net — after costs
  15. current — of water
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. net — in sport
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wax — to grow
  20. current — happening now
  21. march — the month
  22. firm — steady
  23. march — the month
  24. prune — to trim

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