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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bound — obliged
  4. kid — to tease
  5. prune — to trim
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. roll — a list
  15. kid — child
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. march — music
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bound — certain
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. roll — a cake

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