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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 116 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. cell — a phone
  5. wax — to grow
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. press — to push
  9. prune — to trim
  10. file — a line of people
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mark — a grade
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. prune — to trim
  18. press — newspapers
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. file — a document
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. press — a publisher
  24. file — a tool

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