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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. track — a path
  4. fall — the season
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. track — a song
  7. rash — hasty
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. prune — to trim
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. squash — the sport
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rash — a series
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. squash — to crush
  21. track — to keep track
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wax — to grow
  24. fall — to drop

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