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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wax — to grow
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spring — a coil
  7. content — happy
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spring — of water
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bass — low music
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. content — the amount
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bass — the fish
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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