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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cue — a hint
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. last — to go on
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. last — final
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. last — finally
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. season — of the year
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. season — in sport
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stand — on your feet

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